Cumin is the main ingredient in curry powder and is a spice used in Indian and ethnic cuisines. It is often used in meat and vegetable dishes, and Western Europe, in sausages and meatloaf. In this article, I researched cumin to find out what kind of taste and aroma the spice has. It seems that the smell of cumin can also repel insects.
Cumin Tastes Spicy and Rich, not Only Spicy
The taste of cumin is characterized by a slight bitterness and pungency. It is said to have a strong, unique, and pungent aroma. If you take a small amount of cumin seed in your mouth and chew it with your teeth, you will feel a peppermint-like soothing taste, a slight bitterness, and a slight pungency.
However, it is not a strong bitterness, nor is it hot like hot peppers, nor is it a strong spicy taste that stings the nostrils. The first impression is not very strong, but it has a soothing taste and a lingering bitterness.
Cumin is not usually eaten as it is. Cumin is usually not eaten as it is, but sprinkled on food or added to dishes, so it cannot be compared to the taste of strawberry or milk. However, if I had to describe the taste of cumin, I would say that it has the unique herb-like taste of Indian food or the spicy, slightly bitter taste that you feel in the meat when you eat sausage.
Cumin is an essential spice in curry and is one of the key points in the aroma and flavor of curry, but curry is a combination of various other spices that give it its characteristics. So, does cumin taste spicy? But curry is characterized by a combination of other spices. If we compare the taste of cumin in curry, it is not the spiciness of curry but the spicy richness of cumin.
Cumin’s Aroma
Cumin is said to have a strong and pungent aroma. It is indeed a spice with a strong aroma. However, it does not have a strong aroma like wasabi or hot pepper. Cumin is characterized by its unique aroma that lingers. For example, if you hold a small number of cumin seeds in your hand, you may not be able to get rid of the smell of cumin for a while.
If you were to use a word to describe the scent of cumin, you could say that it smells like Chinese medicine. It does not have the fresh coolness of fruit, but it does have a coolness that stimulates the appetite.
There is a faint sweetness to it, but it is not the sweetness of cinnamon, nor is it the pungent sweetness of vanilla-like clove. When you smell the curry powder, you will notice a unique aroma, and the main aroma is said to be that of cumin.
Cumin’s Aroma Can be Found in Ancient Egypt
Cumin’s spicy and stimulating aroma is not only used as a flavoring agent in food but is also used as a fragrance in cosmetics and other daily life applications. Fragrances are related to our sense of smell and have been used in our daily lives since ancient times. The stimulating aroma of cumin can be traced back to the Egyptian civilization that flourished in B.C.
Looking into the history of Egypt, it seems that Egyptians have been using natural fragrances obtained from the essential oils of aromatic plants since ancient times.
The Egyptians, who believed in the resurrection, artificially preserved human corpses by making mummies, and they used natural fragrances such as cumin with its strong aroma to embalm and deodorize the bodies. The pungent aroma of cumin was already active in the lives of the ancient Egyptians.
Some Perfumes Use Cumin in Modern Times
Cumin is used as a spice in curry and ethnic dishes, but most of the products with a characteristic aroma like cumin have been effectively used in our lives for a long time, not only as food.
Even today, cumin is used not only as a flavoring agent in food, but also in cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, and air fresheners. For example, cumin’s pungent and spicy scent is used to create perfumes using cumin essential oil, which is blended with other fragrances by perfumes to create perfumes with the pungent scent of spices.
One of the perfumes released by the famous fashion brand Chanel is a popular perfume that contains bergamot, lemon, basil, hyacinth, and cumin as ingredients. The perfume with cumin is short-lasting, but it has become popular as a type of perfume that can make a great first impression on others. In recent years, the German fashion brand Aigner has released a cumin-based perfume that is gaining popularity.
I would like to say a few words about those who are concerned about the health hazards of using something that is used as a raw material for perfume in food. When cumin is used as a flavoring agent in food, it not only affects the aroma but also the taste, so its use is regulated by the Food Sanitation Law. When using cumin as a perfume, the use of cumin is regulated by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law of Japan.
Does Cumin Smell Bad?
Cumin is a spice used in Indian and Mexican cooking, in the spices of garam masala, a typical Indian mixed spice, and in making chutneys.
It is also used in making chutneys. Cumin is said to be an essential ingredient in making curry, but it is also often used in minced meat dishes and stir-fried with onions, green peppers, and other vegetables that have a strong flavor.
Cumin’s aroma blends well with cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and coriander, making it a spice that can be used together to add a more ethnic spicy flavor.
The smell of cumin, with its ethnic flavor, can be medicinal if used a lot. The strong, lingering smell is spicy enough to use in small amounts, but too much can be smelly, so use it with caution.
The Smell of Cumin is Effective in Repelling Insects
As I mentioned earlier, ancient Egyptians used cumin and other herbs to deodorize and embalm mummies, but in general, insects such as mosquitoes and cockroaches dislike herbal smells. In general, insects such as mosquitoes and cockroaches do not like herbal smells, and the scent of cumin is also effective in repelling these kinds of insects. The pungent, spicy scent of cumin can keep insects away just by leaving them around.
For example, you can put dried cumin seeds on a small plate and place them in a place where cockroaches are likely to come out to prevent cockroaches. Rubbing the original cumin seed with your hands will make it more fragrant and effective.
Mosquitoes and cockroaches do not like the smell of cumin and other herbs, but they do like the smell of vanilla bean and anise, so even herbs do not repel insects.
Cumin is a Spice That Intensifies Body Odor! You Can’t Get Rid of Body Odor With Perfume
Cumin has a unique aroma that can be used to add a nice ethnic flavor to food or to remove the fishy smell of meat or fish, or the smell of vegetables that have a habitual smell. However, cumin is also said to be a spice that increases body odor if consumed in excess. For example, people from countries that eat a lot of curries are said to have a strong body odor, which is said to be caused by the spice cumin contained in curry.
Cumin gives food a spicy aroma, but on the other hand, it is a spice that intensifies nasal body odor, and the smell of armpits has been likened to that of cumin.
For example, if you want to get rid of armpit odor that smells like cumin, or if you live in a country that uses a lot of cumin and your body odor has become stronger due to increased cumin intake, some people use perfume to control their body odor. However, perfume does not work on armpits and body odor that smells like cumin.
In the first place, perfume is applied to odorless skin to create the scent that the perfume has. No matter how good the perfume smells, wearing it on top of your body odor will not make it smell as good as it should.
If your body odor has become too strong due to too much cumin, or if you have an armpit odor that smells like cumin, use a non-perfume solution. As a side note, if you have body odor but want to use perfume stylishly, you can use an additive-free and fragrance-free deodorant cream to eliminate body odor and then use perfume without feeling uncomfortable. However, the effect is limited, so please watch your time while using it.
The Taste and Smell of The Spice Cumin Can Effectively Add an Ethnic Flavor
Cumin, a spice used in Indian and other ethnic cuisines, is an indispensable spice in curry, so much so that it is called the flavor of curry. The taste of cumin itself is not as striking in the mouth as that of hot peppers. The taste of cumin is characterized by a bittersweetness and slight spiciness that slowly lingers strongly in the mouth. The aroma of cumin is not a punchy smell when you open the lid of a jar of cumin, but it is a unique pungent spicy aroma that lingers. It is also a stimulating, appetizing, and refreshing scent.
Tracing the roots of cumin’s fragrance, it seems that it was already used in the lives of the ancient Egyptians. The spicy scent of cumin is not only used as a flavoring for food, but also as a scent for women’s fashionable perfumes and as an insect repellent for mosquitoes and cockroaches.
When used in cooking, cumin effectively adds an ethnic flavor, but it is said that cumin is a spice that intensifies body odor. Cumin is said to be a spice that intensifies body odor, but it does not intensify body odor when consumed in small amounts in normal cooking. Cumin gives us an ethnic flavor! I hope you will make good use of it in your cooking.