Cumin Vs Caraway: What's The Difference?

You'd be forgiven for mistaking cumin and caraway on the spice rack. In whole seed (or fruit) form, they're both relatively small, brown, boat-shaped pods with pale raised ridges. And their ground form isn't any more helpful for distinguishing between the two — they both grind down into a similar medium brown color. They even cost about the same. Unfortunately for home cooks who picked up the wrong product, apart from being a potent way to flavor a dish, the similarities between cumin and caraway largely stop there.

Although they grow from different plants, both cumin and caraway are from the apiaceae family of aromatic, flowering plants (also known as the parsley family) as are many other culinary herbs like coriander, anise, and fennel seeds. Despite their familiar relationship, you'd never confuse the taste. Cumin has a strong earthy, spicy flavor while caraway has a lighter, sharper, slightly licorice-like quality. In a pinch, you can substitute one for the other, but you'll be making a distinct change to the flavor profile of your dish — and caraway packs a real punch.

Between cumin and caraway, cumin is the more commonly used of the two. Cumin comes from the dried seeds of the cuminum cyminum plant. Popular across several regions including North Africa, the Middle East, and North America, cumin has a warm, nutty, slightly smoky taste that helps elevate and round out savory dishes. Cumin can be used in whole-seed form, especially when bloomed in hot oil, but it's most often used when already ground. 

Cumin is called for in many Mexican food dishes and Indian curries. It's also a popular choice for chili, soups, marinades, rubs, and barbecue and is a key component of other spice blends like garam masala and curry powder. Basically, if you're making a savory or meat-forward dish that could use a kick of flavor without powerful heat, cumin is your best bet. If you're fresh out of cumin, coriander, rather than caraway, is the ideal substitute.

Caraway, unsurprisingly, comes from the caraway plant. Interestingly, the pods harvested from the plant are actually the dried fruit of the plant rather than the seeds. While the plant itself grows in North Africa, Asia, and Europe, most consumers probably think of caraway as a key component of European cooking, baking, and liquor making. Unlike cumin, caraway "seeds" are usually used whole. 

You'll find them in rye bread and other aromatic bakes, in pickle brines and sausages, and in cheeses and root vegetable dishes. Also, unlike cumin, caraway can be found in desserts, like gingerbread, and in liquors, like aquavit. You can also use caraway in ground form, but a little goes a long way. The sharp and bittersweet anise-like flavor of caraway can be an acquired taste. Peppery and citrusy, caraway is likely not the spice for you if you hate the flavor of licorice. If you're out of caraway but like its flavor profile, anise or fennel seeds are similar substitutions.