Africa

Nigella

Nigella sativa.

Seed.

Part Used

Dried seed, used whole.

Form

Habba sawda / black seed (Arabic, pan-regional); sanouj (Tunisia).

Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, broader North Africa and the Middle East.

Bitter, oniony-peppery with a faint oregano-like note.

Bread and pastry topping; folk-medicinal seasoning; occasional inclusion in vegetable dishes and pickles.

Egyptian khubz baladi; Tunisian pastries; scattered into some tagines.

Sesame, fennel seed, honey pastries, yogurt-based sauces.

Scatter whole seeds on dough just before baking; do not grind, as it turns bitter fast.

Whole seed keeps well over a year sealed and dark.

No close substitute for the flavor; sesame seed for texture only.

Long-valued in Islamic and Mediterranean folk medicine as a 'cure for everything but death,' a saying attributed to a hadith.

Not a standard blend component in Africa; occasionally appears in bread spice toppings.