Trachyspermum ammi seed Ajwain
LATIN NAME: Trachyspermum ammi
COMMON NAME: Ajwain
Ajwain is the fine, aromatic, warm-spiced plant of the dry regions, and its small, hot, thyme-like seeds have made it a familiar of the warm-world kitchens for a very long time. The open, branching plant carries the fine, feathery, divided leaves, and the small, white flowers open in the umbels through the warm season, to be followed by the small, pale, ridged, strongly aromatic seeds. The seeds have a sharp, warm, biting taste, and they have a long and careful record of use in the practice and the cooking of the region. It is a fine, easy, generous plant of the sunny, well-drained garden. It is a plant of the warm, dry ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Ajwain has a well-documented place in the plant science, and the seeds have been studied for a long time for their sharp, warm, aromatic oil and their place in the traditional practice of the region. The chemistry of the small, ridged seeds, which have a very long record of use, has been looked at closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the aromatic seeds and the traditional spices of the dry regions. The fine, feathery leaves and the umbels of the small, white flowers have also made it a fine garden plant, and it is a regular subject of the studies of the warm-world spices and the aromatic herbs.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ajwain is grown for the small, hot, strongly aromatic seeds. The sharp, warm seeds are a fine, generous addition to the breads, the pickles, the lentil dishes and the spiced snacks of the warm world, and they have a long record of use in the practice of the region. The open, branching plant is a fine, easy addition to the sunny, well-drained herb garden, and the small, white flowers pull in the bees through the warm season. It has been written up in the food and the herbal papers for its sharp, warm, aromatic seeds, and it is a fine, generous plant of the sunny, well-drained garden.
Ajwain is a fine, easy plant for the warm, dry garden, and the small, ridged, strongly aromatic seeds are a treasure of the warm-world kitchens. The sharp, warm seeds give a fine, generous flavour to the breads and the spiced dishes of the region.
In the right spot the ajwain is a fine, dependable, easy plant, and it asks for very little beyond the sun and the well-drained ground. The fine, feathery leaves and the small, white flowers give the plant a fresh, open look through the warm season.
To grow the ajwain from seed, scatter the fine seeds over moist, free-draining soil in the seed trays and cover them very thinly, keep them in a bright, warm, open spot and water gently. The seedlings push through within a couple of weeks and grow on fast in the warmth. With the sun and the well-drained soil, the fine, feathery leaves and the umbels of the small, white flowers will be there through the warm season.
Trachyspermum ammi, commonly known as ajwain or carom is a plant from India, Pakistan and commonly used as a spice.
The plant looks a bit like parsley but its the seeds that are harvested and often confused with lovage seed; even some dictionaries mistakenly state that carom seeds come from the lovage plant.
The fresh seeds smell like thyme but are more aromatic and more pungent. In India it is believed to be a digestive aid. This plant is a tender annual.
Plant seeds in sterile moist gritty seed compost about 1mm deep and well spaced out. Germination 1 to 2 weeks at 25c. Best sown in small pots under glass. Planting out in a sheltered hot sunny position in June.