Bunium bulbocastanum

Bunium bulbocastanum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Apiales
Family:	Apiaceae
Genus:	Bunium
Species:	B. bulbocastanum
Binomial name
Bunium bulbocastanum L.
Synonyms
Bulbocastanum balearicum Sennen Bulbocastanum linnaei Schur Bulbocastanum mauritanicum Willk. Bulbocastanum mediterraneum Albert Bunium agrarium Albert Bunium aphyllum Jan ex DC. Bunium bulbosum Dulac Bunium collinum Albert Bunium crassifolium (Batt.) Batt. Bunium elatum (Batt.) Batt. Bunium fontanesii (Pers.) Maire Bunium majus Vill. Bunium mauritanicum (Boiss. & Reut.) Batt. Bunium mediterraneum Albert Bunium minus Gouan Bunium perotii Braun-Blanq. & Maire Carum bulbocastanum (L.) Koch Carum mauritanicum Boiss. & Reut. Carvi bulbocastanum (L.) Bubani Conopodium balearicum (Sennen) M.Hiroe Diaphycarpus incrassatus (Boiss.) Calest.

Bunium bulbocastanum is a plant species in the family Apiaceae. It is related to cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and commonly called black cumin, blackseed,, black caraway, or great pignut, and has a smoky, earthy taste. It is often confused with Nigella sativa (which is also called black cumin, blackseed, and black caraway).

Dried Bunium bulbocastanum fruits are used as a culinary spice in northern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran. It is practically unknown outside these areas. The tuber-like root is locally collected for food; the "pignut" or chestnut" names refer to it.

Local names for that spice are (काला ज़ीरा) kala zeera (black cumin) or shahi zeera (शाहि ज़ीरा)(imperial cumin) in Hindi, as سیاہ زیرہ ("syah zirah", "black cumin"), کالا زیرہ ("kaala zirah", "black cumin") and زيره كوهی ("zirah kuhi", "mountain/wild cumin") in Urdu, زيره كوهی (zireh kuhi, "wild cumin") in Persian and as сиёх дона (siyoh dona, "black seed") in Tajiki, in Malayalam "സഹജീരകം".

The commonly used Hindi term shahi zeera may be a distortion of syahi (black in Persian) zeera. However, in the Hindustani language, the term syahi also means "inky black". In Bengali, kalo zeera also means black cumin, but refers to Nigella, not B. bulbocastanum. Nigella is widely used as a spice in Bengali food, while B. bulbocastanum is rare.

...
Wikipedia