Nigella
Encyclopedia : N : NI : NIG : Nigella
- This article is about the plant. Nigella can also be a personal name; see e.g. Nigella Lawson.
Nigella is a genus of about 14 species of annual plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia. Common names applied to members of this genus are Devil-in-a-bush or Love in the mist.
The species grow to 20-90 cm tall, with finely divided leaves, the leaf segments narrowly linear to threadlike. The flowers are white, yellow, pink, pale blue or pale purple, with 5-10 petals. The fruit is a capsule composed of several united follicles, each containing numerous seeds; in some species (e.g. Nigella damascena), the capsule is large and inflated.
Uses
The seeds of N. sativa, known as kalonji, black cumin or just nigella, are used as a spice in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. The black seeds taste mostly like pepper. Most people use it as a pepper in recipes with pod fruit, vegetables, salads and poultry. Several species are grown as ornamental plants in gardens, popular for their seed capsules, which are used in dried flower arrangements.
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