Nigella Seeds

Tiny, black fragrant seeds with amazing flavour and some surprising health benefits! Here’s why you may want to add nigella seeds to your food both for taste and for your body.

Incredible flavour from a tiny seed

Have you seen jars of nigella seeds in the shops or supermarket? I bought a jar once for a recipe - and then forgot which recipe I’d been inspired by. This happens to me a lot, and then I find myself with random ingredients, and kind of have to work my way backward and find out what I can make with them. Well, the result was brilliant for nigella seeds. I read that they are often used in naan, but I actually added some to some pitta bread that I made to have with mediterranean style food and it was absolute perfection. SO flavourful, these tiny black seeds add so much to a simple bread. Now I doubt I’ll make much pitta without it!

Nigella seeds are one of the oldest spices known to be used, according to BBC Good Food, and are mentioned in the Old Testament and were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb! They are fragrant and tasty, they have a kind of onion feel to them, and I bet they can be used for a whole variety of dishes that would benefit from that flavour - on that note I’d love to hear from you how you use nigella seeds (or kalonji) in your cooking!

You know I like looking at health benefits of everything in our cupboard - and Healthline didn’t disappoint, they have a page especially for nigella seeds. They seem to have impressive potential health benefits, containing antioxidants, it has been used as a natural remedy to treat diarrhoea and bronchitis. They can lower LDL cholesterol, may have antibacterial properties, reduce inflammation and keep your blood sugar steady.

That’s really fantastic! I love when super tasty ingredients add more than just great flavour.

Do you like nigella seeds? How do you use them in the kitchen? Message me on Instagram @TheFromScratchBody!