Buying cumin
Whole seeds or ground - the whole seeds have more flavour

Use
The seeds are often heated for a few seconds in order to release their full flavour.

Hints and tips
In many countries, a pinch of powdered cumin is added to the cooking water of dried beans in order to make them more digestible.

The Worldwide Gourmet - Matches Made in Heaven
Hotter and spicier than caraway, cumin is found in both seed and powdered forms. It plays an important role in spicy cuisines, entering into Indian curries and Moroccan ras-el-hanout. Powdered, it is used in the tagines of Maghreb, in the bouillon for couscous, and the falafels and fool of the Middle East and Northern Africa.

In central America, it flavours gazpacho and empanadas. It is a constituent of chili powder and so is widely eaten in North America in Mexican-style dishes.

Did you know that the German liqueur Kummel, a drink made from grain and potatoes, is flavoured with cumin?

Farmers in northern Europe have grown cumin since time immemorial to flavour their breads and cheeses, making them more digestible. This custom has died out somewhat over the centuries, but esteem for cumin's medicinal proprieties has not lessened among northern dwellers. In the Netherlands, Edam and Gouda are always an integral part of a cheese platter, either plain or studded with cumin seeds.