View source for Caraway

{{Short description|Species of plant in the carrot family}}
{{distinguish|Karavay}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates |date=August 2020}}
{{speciesbox
|name = Caraway
|image = Carum_carvi_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-172.jpg
|genus = Carum
|species = carvi
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

'''Caraway''' ('''''Carum carvi'''''), also known as '''meridian fennel''', is a [[biennial plant]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Apiaceae]], native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa.<ref name="ncsu">{{cite web |title=North Carolina State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Carum Carvi |url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carum-carvi/ |publisher=North Carolina State University}}</ref><ref name="World Crops Database">{{cite web | url = http://world-crops.com/caraway-seeds/ | publisher = Word Crops Database | title = Caraway | access-date = February 16, 2016}}</ref>

[[Image:Kümmel 2012-07-08-9523.jpg|thumb|Caraway [[fruit]]s, informally called "seeds"]]
{{nutritionalvalue | name = Caraway seeds| kJ=1390| protein=19.77 g | fat= 14.59 g | satfat=0.620 g | monofat = 7.125 g | polyfat = 3.272 g | carbs = 49.90 g | sugars=0.64 g | fiber = 38.0 g | thiamin_mg=0.383 | riboflavin_mg=0.379 | niacin_mg=3.606 | folate_ug=10 | vitA_ug = 18 | vitB6_mg=0.360 | vitC_mg=21.0 | vitE_mg=2.5 | vitK_ug=0 | calcium_mg=689 | iron_mg=16.23 | magnesium_mg=258 | phosphorus_mg=568 | potassium_mg=1351 | sodium_mg=17 | zinc_mg=5.5 | water=9.87 g | source_usda=1 | note= [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170918/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]}} 

== Etymology ==
The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been called by many names in different regions, with names deriving from the [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|cuminum}} ([[cumin]]), the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''karon'' (again, cumin), which was adapted into Latin as {{Lang|la|carum}} (now meaning caraway), and the [[Sanskrit]] ''karavi'', sometimes translated as "caraway", but other times understood to mean "[[fennel]]".<ref name=katzer>Katzer's Spice Pages: [http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Caru_car.html?noframes Caraway Caraway (''Carum carvi'' L.)]</ref> English use of the term caraway dates to at least 1440, possibly having Arabic origin.<ref name="katzer"/><ref name=Skeat>Walter William Skeat,  Principles of English Etymology, Volume 2, page 319. 1891 [https://books.google.com/books?id=4r0CAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA319 Words of Arabic Origin]</ref>

==Description==
The plant is similar in appearance to other members of the [[carrot]] family, with finely divided, feathery leaves with thread-like divisions, growing on {{convert|20–30|cm|in|0|adj=on|abbr=on}} stems. The main [[flower]] stem is {{convert|30–60|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} tall, with small white or pink flowers in compound [[umbel]]s composed of 5–16 unequal rays {{Cvt|1-6|cm|4=1}} long. Caraway [[fruit]]s, informally called [[seed]]s, are smooth, [[crescent]]-shaped, laterally compressed [[achene]]s, around {{convert|3|mm|in|abbr=on|frac=16}} long, with five pale ridges and a distinctive pleasant smell when crushed.<ref name = "Tutin">Tutin TG. 1980. Umbellifers of the British Isles. BSBI Handbook No. 2. {{ISBN|0-90-115802-X}} </ref> It flowers in June and July.<ref name = "Tutin"/>

== History ==
Caraway was mentioned by the [[Botany#Early botany|early Greek botanist]] [[Pedanius Dioscorides]] as a herb and tonic.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} It was later mentioned in the Roman ''[[Apicius]]'' as an ingredient in recipes.<ref name="pickersgill">{{cite book |editor1-last=Prance |editor1-first=Ghillean |editor2-last=Nesbitt |editor2-first=Mark |last1=Pickersgill |first1=Barbara |author-link=Barbara Pickersgill |date=2005 |title=The Cultural History of Plants |publisher=Routledge |page=157 |isbn=0415927463}}</ref> Caraway was known in the [[Arab world]] as ''karawiya'', and cultivated in [[Morocco]].<ref name="pickersgill" />

== Cultivation ==
The only species that is cultivated is ''Carum carvi'', its fruits being used in many ways in cooking and in the preparation of traditional medicine products and liqueurs.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Wild Flowers|last=Tomanová|first=Eliška|publisher=Aventinum Nakladatelství|year=1998|isbn=978-1-84067-046-2|location=Prague, Czech Republic|pages=113}}</ref> 

The plant prefers warm, sunny locations and well-drained [[soil]] rich in organic matter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fragrant and Beautiful Herbs for Your Sunny Garden |url=https://www.thespruce.com/best-herbs-that-grow-in-full-sun-4690654 |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=The Spruce |language=en}}</ref> In warmer regions, it is planted in the winter as an annual.  In temperate climates, it is planted as a summer annual or biennial.<ref name=ncsu/>

It is widely established as a cultivated plant. The Netherlands, Poland and Germany are the top caraway producers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Peter |first=K.V. |title=Handbook of herbs and spices Volume 2|date=2012|page=229}}</ref>  [[Finland]] supplies about 28% (2011) of the world's caraway production from some 1500 farms, the high output occurring possibly from its favorable climate and latitudes, which ensure long summer hours of sunlight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goodnewsfinland.com/archive/news/finland-a-global-leader-in-caraway-exports/ |access-date=April 19, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419231931/http://www.goodnewsfinland.com/archive/news/finland-a-global-leader-in-caraway-exports/ |title=Finland a Global Leader in Caraway Exports|publisher=FinnFacts|date=22 April 2013|archive-date=April 19, 2014 }}</ref>

==Nutrition==
Caraway seeds are 10% water, 50% [[carbohydrate]]s, 20% [[protein (nutrition)|protein]], and 15% [[fat]] (table). In a {{convert|100|g}} reference amount, caraway seeds are a rich source (20% or more of the [[Daily Value]], DV) of [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], [[B vitamins]] (24–33% DV), [[vitamin C]] (25% DV), and several [[dietary minerals]], especially [[iron]] (125% DV), [[phosphorus]] (81% DV), and [[zinc]] (58% DV) (table).

== Phytochemicals ==
When [[mill (grinding)|ground]], caraway seeds yield up to 7.5% of [[volatile oil]], mostly [[Carvone|S-carvone]], and 15% fixed oil of which the major [[fatty acids]] are [[oleic acid|oleic]], [[linoleic acid|linoleic]], [[Petroselinic acid|petroselinic]], and [[palmitic acid|palmitic]] acids.<ref name="peter">{{cite book |editor-last=Peter |editor-first=K.V. |title=Handbook of Herbs and Spices, Volume 2|isbn=978-0-85709-039-3|date=2012|page=226|publisher=Woodhead Publishing Limited}}</ref>

[[Phytochemical]]s identified in caraway seed oil include [[thymol]], [[o-cymene]], [[terpinene|γ‑terpinene]], trimethylene dichloride, [[β-pinene]], 2-(1-cyclohexenyl), [[cyclohexanone]], [[β-phellandrene]], [[3-carene]], [[Thujene|α-thujene]], and [[linalool]].<ref name=peter/>

== Uses ==
{{Cookbook}}{{more references|section|date=September 2023}}
The fruits, usually used whole, have a pungent, [[anise]]-like flavor and aroma that comes from essential oils, mostly [[carvone]], [[limonene]], and [[anethole]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Toxic compounds in essential oils of coriander, caraway and basil active against stored rice pests|author1=María D. López |author2=María J. Jordán |author3=María J. Pascual-Villalobo | doi = 10.1016/j.jspr.2008.02.005 | journal = Journal of Stored Products Research | volume= 44 | issue = 3 | date =2008 | pages =273–278}}</ref> Caraway is used as a [[spice]] in [[bread]]s, especially [[rye bread]].<ref name=rodale>[https://books.google.com/books/about/Rodale_s_Illustrated_Encyclopedia_of_Her.html?id=htGD3Y7WNxwC Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs]</ref> A common use of caraway is whole as an addition to rye bread – often called ''seeded rye'' or [[Jewish rye bread]] (see [[Borodinsky bread]]). Caraway seeds are often used in [[Irish soda bread]] and other baked goods.

Caraway may be used in [[desserts]], [[liquor]]s, [[casserole]]s, and other foods. Its leaves can be added to salads, stews, and soups, and are sometimes consumed as herbs, either raw, dried, or cooked, similar to [[parsley]]. The root is consumed as a winter [[root vegetable]] in some places, similar to [[parsnips]].<ref name=rodale/>

Caraway fruits are found in diverse [[European cuisine]]s and dishes, for example [[sauerkraut]], and the [[United Kingdom]]'s [[caraway seed cake]]. In [[Austrian cuisine]], it is used to season beef and, in [[German cuisine]], pork. In [[Hungarian cuisine]], it is added to [[goulash]], and in [[Norwegian cuisine]] and [[Swedish cuisine]], it is used for making caraway black bread.<ref name=rodale/> 

Caraway oil is used to for the production of [[Kümmel (liqueur)|Kümmel]] liquor in Germany and Russia, Scandinavian [[akvavit]], and Icelandic [[brennivín]].<ref name=rodale/> Caraway can be infused in a variety of cheeses, such as [[havarti]] and [[bondost]] to add flavor. In [[Latvian cuisine]], whole caraway seeds are added to the [[Jāņi cheese|Jāņi sour milk cheese]]. In [[Oxford]], where the plant appeared to have become naturalised in a meadow, the seeds were formerly offered on a tray by publicans to people who wished to disguise the odour of their drinker's breath.<ref>Mabey R. 1996. ''Flora Britannica''. Sinclair-Stevenson {{ISBN|1-85-619377-2}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Caraway|volume=5|page=303}}

{{Edible Apiaceae}}
{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Medicinal herbs & fungi}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q26811}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Carum]]
[[Category:Edible Apiaceae]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Flora of North Africa]]
[[Category:Flora of Western Asia]]
[[Category:Root vegetables]]
[[Category:Spices]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Africa]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Europe]]
[[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]