Description
Carum carvi
A flavour reminiscent of cumin and aniseed, warm but mild and with a hint of lemon. It is widely used in Jewish dishes, central and eastern European cuisine: sauerkraut, cabbage dishes, soups, cheeses, sausages, gingerbreads and rye bread. The Alsatian cheese Munster is traditionally eaten accompanied by caraway seeds. They are also an important ingredient in gin, aquavit and schnapps.
NB its simple to check whether you have caraway or cumin seeds - simply count the number of ribs on each seed. Caraway seeds have 9 slightly hairy ribs (5 main ones and 4 minor) whereas cumin seeds only have 5 all in all.