Dill Seeds

These small brown seeds are the dried fruit of the herb dill weed. They taste similar to the leaves but their liquorice flavour is more pungent. The seeds are used predominantly in pickling solutions, condiments and fish cookery, and initial dry-roasting brings out their flavour more fully. There are two varieties of dill seed — the European and the Indian, the latter being paler but longer and more slender. Although interchangeable, these varieties differ slightly in flavour: the warming, pungent European dill seeds resemble caraway seeds; the Indian seeds are less sharp and cause a slight tingling on the tongue when eaten whole. A native of the eastern Mediterranean region and southern Russia, the plant and seeds were believed to have held magic powers during medieval times. Available: widely (look for Indian dill seeds in Indian food stores).