The small, crescent-shaped seeds of a plant called Cuminum cyminum, which are used as a spice. It has a warm flavour and quite a strong, pungent aroma.

Cumin seeds can be used whole or ground into a powder. They're frequently used in Indian cooking and are a regular component of curry powder, as well as being used in the Indian spice mix garam masala.

Cumin is also used in Mexican cooking; in Europe, it's used to flavour some cheeses and is sometimes used in baking. There's also a smaller, darker variety of cumin, called black cumin, which is usually used whole in dishes, where it adds a smoky note.

Buy fresh cumin seeds and grind them yourself after dry roasting them lightly. Replace your stock frequently - like other dried spices, cumin quickly loses its pungency.