Dill Seeds

Dill seed is the small, oval, light brown seed of the dill plant, an annual herb grown across the Middle East, South Asia, Persia and Europe. The aroma is warm and slightly sweet with a citrus edge, closer to caraway than to the feathery green dill leaf, and toasting or crushing the seed brings out deeper lemon notes with a touch of anise.

How to use it

Dill seed is what makes a dill pickle taste the way it does, so start there: a spoonful in the brine for cucumbers, fermented vegetables or beets. It also scents rye bread and artisan loaves, fish rubs, curry blends and roasted vegetable mixes, and steeps into a warm, aromatic tea. In Persian, South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking it goes into rice dishes, lentils and slow stews to add an earthy brightness. Toast the seeds in a dry pan for under a minute before crushing them; the lemon and anise notes come forward and the raw grassiness drops away.

Details

Also known as

Dill Weed Seed, Seed of Dill, Anise of Europe, Sowa Seeds, شبت دانه, تخم شوید, Dillenkraut, Eneldo, Dillfrö, Dillfrø, Dillfrön, Endro
Arabic: بذور الشبت
Persian: تخم شوید
Hindi/Urdu: سوَا کے بیج / سوا دانہ
Chinese: 蔗蘭籽 (Shílúo zǐ)
Spanish: Semillas de eneldo
French: Graines d’aneth
Russian: Семена укропа