The use of cumin can be traced back as early as 5000 BC in Egypt. The Pharaoh families would spread some on the ground in the tombs and cumin is even quoted in Bible. According to an ancient usage noted since Antiquity, cumin grains should be cursed and insulted during sowing. This practice aimed at getting a nice harvest and removing the evil eye. Romans would hang small cumin bags above their bed to prevent nightmares. Pliny (Roman writer and naturalist) recounts that students drank cumin oil to look pale and pretend they studied all night. During the Middle Ages, serfs used it as a bargaining chip to free themselves. In India, women in the harems would smoke cumin as a drug. In Italy, women hid cumin in the clothes of their lovers to make them fall in love. Even in Germany, cumin served as a token of fidelity and loyalty symbol for the fiancé. Cumin is used in most spice blends the world over. We find cumin in some cheeses, like Gouda, but also in tajins in Morocco, or in merguez. In Central America, it is used in gaspacho and empanadas. It is widely used in cooking in La Reunion Island, and in Creole cuisine in general. You cannot get wrong with this spice: it can be used in all recipes, raw or cooked. You can mix it freely with all spices. You can also use it to perfume tea!

Chic Shot® collection, the choice of flavours collector and amateur! Chic Shot is a range of high quality spices carefully selected by SUR LES QUAIS, packed in mini glass jars. From n°1 Saffron to n°30 Matcha Tea, this collection gathers rare and intact flavours: Ras el-hanout, Lemongrass, Cumin, Tandoori, Cardamom, Vanilla or Long Pepper... Each mini jar can easily stored in the kitchen and keep the precious content perfectly fresh, with no waste. The spices come with a specific index card detailing suggestions for use of the spice in everyday cooking.