''Trachyspermum roxburghianum'' (also known as ''Carum roxburghianum'') is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plan ...

. It is grown extensively in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. Its aromatic dried fruits, like those of its close relative

ajwain Ajwain, ajowan (), or ''Trachyspermum ammi''—also known as ajowancaraway, omam (in Tamil), thymol seeds, bishop's weed, or carom—is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Both the leaves and the seed‑like fruit (often mistakenly called ...

, are often used in

Bengali cuisine Bengali cuisine ( bn, বাঙ্গালী রন্ধনপ্রণালী) is the culinary style of Bengal, a region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent encompassing Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura ...

but are rarely used in the rest of India. The fresh leaves are used as an herb in Thailand and it is used medicinally in

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

and Sri Lanka.

Characteristics

The small dried fruits, commonly referred to as seeds, are similar in appearance to those of ajwain, celery, and caraway. Because of their similarity in both appearance and flavor, it is often confused or substituted with

celery seed Celery (''Apium graveolens'') is a marshland plant in the family Apiaceae that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves. Depending on location and cultivar, either its stalks, l ...

Etymology

Known as ' in Bengali ( bn, রাধুনি), is often confused with celery and is known as wild celery in English. It is known as in Hindi ( hi, अजमोद) and Urdu ( ur, اجمود), both derived from Sanskrit ( sa, अजमोद, }) or ( sa, अजमोदिका), from which the name for

is also derived. It is also known as in Burmese, and in Thai ( th, ผักชีล้อม), although this name may also refer to a variety of celery. It is also known as (අසමෝදගම්) in Sri Lanka.

Uses

It is a very strong spice, with a characteristic smell similar to parsley and a taste similar to celery. A couple of pinches can easily overpower a curry. In

the seeds are used whole, quickly fried in very hot oil until they crackle. It is commonly used in the Bengali dish . They are sometimes part of a local (Bengali five spice) mixture replacing black mustard seeds; the other ingredients are cumin seed, fenugreek seed,

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

seed, and Nigella Seed. In other places, a common use is in pickling or spice mixtures. It is commonly used as an herb for diarrhea, gastritis, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal distention, stomachache related to indigestion and also for worm diseases.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q673731 Apiaceae Spices Indian spices