Caraway

Description

Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (Synonym; Carum carvi), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. The plant is similar in appearance to other members of the carrot family, with finely divided, feathery leaves with thread-like divisions, growing on 20–30 cm (8–12 in) stems. The main flower stem is 40–60 cm (16–24 in) tall, with small white or pink flowers in umbels. Caraway fruits, commonly (erroneously) called seeds, are crescent-shaped achenes, around 2 mm (1⁄16 in) long, with five pale ridges. The etymology of caraway is complex and poorly understood. Caraway has been called by many names in different regions, with names deriving from the Latin cuminum (cumin), the Greek karon (again, cumin), which was adapted into Latin as carum (now meaning caraway), and the Sanskrit karavi, sometimes translated as "caraway", but other times understood to mean "fennel". English use of the term caraway dates back to at least 1440,and is considered by Walter William Skeat to be of Arabic origin, though Gernot Katzer believes the Arabic al-karawya (cf. Spanish alcaravea) to be derived from the Latin carum.