Dill Seed

Dill Seed: History and Complete Culinary Guide

Dill seed — the dried fruits of Anethum graveolens — has a more pungent, earthy, and assertive character than dill weed (the feathery leaf), with a flavour that has more in common with caraway than with the fresh herbaceous character of dill leaves. Dill seed's primary flavour compound is carvone (as in caraway, but the mirror-image molecular form that gives a different, more distinctly dill character), alongside limonene. Dill was one of the herbs used in ancient Egypt and the Middle East in both cooking and medicine; it was specifically forbidden to the Pharisees by the Bible, suggesting it was considered valuable enough to require mention in a tithes context. Dill seed is primarily a spice of Northern and Eastern European pickling traditions — it is essential in North American dill pickles (gherkins) and in Scandinavian pickled fish preparations.

Culinary Uses

Dill seed is the defining spice of dill pickles — add to pickle brines alongside garlic and mustard seed. Use in Scandinavian-style gravadlax cures alongside fresh dill. Add to rye bread dough. Use in coleslaw and potato salad dressings. Add to spiced vinegars and marinades. In Indian cooking, dill seed (suva) appears in regional dal and vegetable preparations. Dill seed is more suited than dill weed to long cooking and strong-flavoured preparations.