Caraway

Caraway, Carum carvi, is a biennial plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe and North Africa. It grows finely divided, feathery leaves on stems 20 to 30 centimeters tall, with a flowering stem reaching 30 to 60 centimeters that bears small white or pink flowers in compound umbels of 5 to 16 unequal rays, flowering in June and July. Its fruits are smooth, crescent-shaped seeds about 3 millimeters long with a distinctive pleasant smell when crushed, owing to volatile oils dominated by S-carvone that give an anise-like flavor. The seeds are widely used as a culinary spice, especially in rye bread and dishes such as sauerkraut, while the leaves can be eaten in salads and soups and the roots used as a winter vegetable.