Trachyspermum copticum

Trachyspermum copticum, commonly known as ajwain, ajowan caraway, carom seeds or mistakenly as bishop's weed, is a plant of India and the Near East whose seeds are used as a spice.^[1]

Characteristics

It is the small seed-like fruit similar to that of the bishop's weed (Ammi majus) plant, egg-shaped and grayish in colour. The plant has a similarity to parsley. Because of their seed-like appearance, the fruit pods are sometimes called ajwain seeds or mistakenly as Ammi majus seeds (Botanical synonyms for ajwain which are no longer accepted by ITIS are: Ammi copticum, Carum copticum, Trachyspermum ammi).

Etymology

Ajwain is often confused with lovage seed; even some dictionaries mistakenly state ajwain comes from the lovage plant. In Hindi, it is referred to as ajwain (अजवायन). Ajwain is also called owa (ओवा) in Marathi, jawain in Punjabi , juani in Oriya,vaamu or oma in Telugu, omam (ஓமம்) in Tamil, ajwana in Kannada, ajmo (અજમો) in Gujarati, jowan in Bengali, jwano in Nepali, asamodagam in Singhalese, ayamodakam in Malayalam, jamain in Maithili, xiang zhu la jiao (香著辣椒) in Chinese, and Ажгон in Russian.

Ajwain seeds

Flavour and aroma

Raw ajwain smells almost exactly like thyme because it also contains thymol, but is more aromatic and less subtle in taste, as well as slightly bitter and pungent. It tastes like thyme or caraway, only stronger. Even a small amount of raw ajwain will completely dominate the flavor of a dish.

In Indian cuisine, ajwain is almost never used raw, but either dry-roasted or fried in ghee or oil. This develops a much more subtle and complex aroma, somewhat similar to caraway but "brighter". Among other things, it is used for making a type of parantha, called ajwain ka parantha.

History

Ajwain originated in the Middle East, possibly in Egypt and the Indian subcontinent, but also in Iran, Egypt and Afghanistan. It is sometimes used as an ingredient in berbere, a spice mixture favored in Eritrea and Ethiopia.

In India, the major ajwain producing states are Rajasthan and Gujarat, where Rajasthan produces about 90% of India's total production.

Uses

Medicinal uses

It is also traditionally known as a digestive aid, a relief for abdominal discomfort due to indigestion and an antiseptic. In southern parts of India, dry ajwain seeds are powdered and soaked in milk, which is then filtered and fed to babies. Many assume it relieves colic in babies, and for children it also improves digestion and appetite. Ajwain can be used as digestive mixture in large animals. In the northern part of India, it is often consumed after a heavy meal.^{[citation needed]}