Episode 19: Oxford Mints & Lover’s Hints- Caraway

May 23

Welcome back to another week of Rooted! In this episode we are taking a closer look at a flavorful favorite- Caraway!

Caraway, or Carum carvi, is a member of the umbellifer family, with family members like carrot, dill, celery and fennel!

Fun fact- one of the reasons we call this the umbellifer family is because the stalks form an umbrella like shape out of their stems, which then have dense clusters of tiny flowers on the ends.

Much like their other famed family members, Caraway is used most often as a seasoning! But they can be so much more than that!

Caraway is native to Western Asia, Europe, and Northern Africa. It prefers warm, sunny spots with rich soil and plenty of drainage. The world's largest producers of caraway are the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland, with 1500 farms producing 28% of the world's supply in Finland!

The small brown specs we normally think of - usually called the caraway seeds-, are ACTUALLY the fruit of caraway, not true seeds. The seeds are even tinier, if you can believe that, and actually don't have a ton of flavor.

The plant itself looks a lot like its cousins fennel, dill, and carrots- they have long fern-like leaves with tall stems that form large umbrella-like plumes as they reach toward the sky. Their flowers are small and white, and look really similar to that of wild carrot or hemlock- be sure to check out those episodes if you want to learn more about them!

It’s not just the similarity to carrots that have confused us- there also seems to be a bit of discourse about where the name caraway comes from- Basically, We think it all started from the roman “cuminum ” which really meant cumin, but from there it got translated to the greek “karon” which also meant cumin, which then became the Latin “Carum then, sanskrit “karavi” which means caraway, but is also sometimes translate as fennel- so its always been a bit confusing. But we do know that as of the 1400s, caraway was what we aligned on for naming this plant in english.

Now that we know the history of the name, Let's dive into the history of the plant-

In Germany, land of scary stories and grotesque folk monsters, parents used to sprinkle caraway under their children’s beds to prevent them from being stolen in their sleep.

This is because it was widely believed that caraway kept evil at bay due to its strong pleasant smell and healing properties- more on that later

People also used to sprinkle caraway on graves for that same reason! Plus it was believed to keep lilith and the evil eye away.

Interestingly, both Lilith and the evil eye attack babies and small children in the respective religions and cultures they come from.

Lilith is said to have been the first wife of Adam, and in Judaism is believed to steal and murder babies up to 20 days old as vengeance against the angels.

The story goes that Lillith didn't like that Adam felt he was more powerful and dominant than her, so she decided to leave the garden. Upon hearing this, God sent 3 angels to bring Lilith back to adam. But, Lilith didn't have any interest in returning, and was already starting to build her own life and family in a cave nearby. As punishment for not returning, the angels threatened to kill 100 of Lilith's children every day she was gone…..

So now she steals children from their parents to replace those who are taken from her, unless they are wearing a protective amulet that either bears one of the 3 angles names and/or contains caraway.

Aside from keeping Evil at bay, Caraway can also bring things closer, or keep them near. For instance, Farmers often would give homing pigeons and chickens caraway, as they believed it prevented them from wandering off!

And We still do this today! From my research, it seems like the idea is that birds really like caraway, so you give it to them so they will keep coming back and not look for other places to find food….kind of like when you get free chips and salsa at a restaurant..

Caraway also attracts good and repels negativity in the garden- specifically we are talking about beneficial pollinators and pests. A lot of our bee and butterfly pals LOVE caraway because it has a million tiny flowers for them to rub their butts and/or noses in…but pests like aphids tend to leave them be, as predatory wasps tend to like caraway AND crunching on their tiny, gross aphid bodies.

Another thing Caraway can attract? Love, apparently..

In many different forms of witchcraft and pagan religions, it is believed that caraway can attract true love.

Common wives tales tell of people chewing them before kissing someone, or adding them into a baked good you gift them to make them fall deeply in love with you.

In another wives tale from England, young girls were told to Run round the church three times on New Year’s Eve, and then throw caraway seeds over their left shoulder to see who they were going to marry.

This was apparently wholesome and acceptable witchcraft that won’t get you burned at the stake. But enjoying yourself a little too much, minding your own business without men???? Get ready to plead your case to the ducking stool, you wench!

In Food, Caraway adds a slightly spicy, smokey, sort of licorice-y taste- lake anise’s moody cousin. It brings a warmth and distinct flavor to any dish its added into! Key dishes you may have had it in include Rye bread, Sauerkraut, and Jāņi sour milk cheese.

Due to its distinct flavor and relative ease to find, caraway is widely recognized as one of the first condiments or seasonings in europe. Some was found in switzerland dwellings dating back 8000 years, which is WILD to me.

But it wasn't just a staple in Switzerland, countries across the globe were and are SUPER into this stuff.

In Rome, caraway root was commonly used in a bread- one so tasty that Julius Caesar was said to be a massive fan.

Scandinavian cultures often use caraway oil in alcoholic beverages like akvavit and brennivín., which are both clear liquors that are said to have a very distinct warm and rich taste reminiscing rye bread.[15]

In Germany, Caraway is usually added into pork, sauerkraut, and rye bread.

In English cuisine, caraway is usually added into apple dishes as well as in their famed caraway seed cakes!

Famously, it was also offered at a pub in Oxford to hide drinkers' breath after a patch naturalized near the bar- kind of like an early “after dinner” mint..

Indian dishes often call for caraway as an addition to ire vay dick ayurvedic food! For those unfamiliar, the Ayurvedic diet is an extension of Ayurvedic medicine and focuses on balancing different types of energy within your body, which in turn helps all other aspects of your health.

In this diet, the 5 elements are separated out into 3 dosas, which are the ways these elements manifest in the human body. It is believed that everyone has one dominant dosa, and therefore needs to eat in a way to bring balance to their body.

The three dosas are :

Pitta,Vata, and Kapha

People with Pitta as a dominant dosa are said to be of medium build and stature, and are fire and water dominant. They should prioritize refreshing and hydrating foods, and avoid seeds, fats, and highly spiced/warming foods…so no caraway for them, or they might experience indigestion, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Vata Dominant people are said to be air and space dominant people, with slender frames. They need to focus on eating warming and grounding foods, while avoiding dried fruits, bitter herbs, or raw veggies, as they often struggle with digestion issues, anxiety, and fatigue when out of balance.

Those who are Kapha dominant tend to have a sturdier frame, and may struggle with weight gain, diabetes, and depression when out of balance. In order to maintain stasis, they need to avoid seeds and oily foods, and put an emphasis on fresh, whole foods. Once balance is achieved and maintained, health overall should improve.

But achieving balance isn't the only way we use caraway in medicine.

In Ancient Greece, a doctor famously suggested that caraway was a cure for “pale faced girls” RUDE. Rude. Some of us are pale no matter what we try, even when we live in a place with super intense sun. but it's fine. I'm fine. If you are wondering what they even MEANT when they said caraway could cure pale faced girls- here’s what I could find.

Basically it was thought that using the caraway oil would bring a warmth and vibrancy back to flushed or pale skin- sort of like an early toner/bronzer/blush.. Some toners still use caraway today, as it can add a bit of color and warmth to the face.

On top of bringing life back to your ugly mug, caraway can also help to soothe indigestion.

Now, we talked about this a bit in The episode about leeks, but as a quick recap, Caraway can help to aid digestion because they contain a chemical called carvone, which helps to stop your stomach from spasming and expelling gas. For added stomach soothing, people will sometimes throw in a little peppermint or spearmint oil!

But caraway doesn't just help to keep tummy troubles at bay- apparently it was also used to repel lice?

These little guys are also useful when it comes to preventing coughs,,,you know, because of the whole anti-spasming thing? But they were also often used to treat chronic pain from things like arthritis because of their anti inflammatory properties!

As if that wasn’t enough, today Caraway is being studied in rodents as a treatment option for colitis and believed to have potential in a treatment for irritable bowel disease in humans, though more testing is certainly needed to find a solid answer on that one!

In the interest of not droning on about rat colons for 10 min on a plant podcast, I am linking to the study I used for my research in this episode because while it is deeply fascinating, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. But the gist is that the reason that Caraway is believed to be effective for this treatment is because it can help settle the stomach and soothe it because of carvone and limonene are mucoprotective, which helps to prevent the mucosal inflammation that is common in IBD.

When caraway isn’t out saving our meals and guts, it is acting as a helpful pollinator plant for butterflies, bees, and other delightful little critters who rely on it as a food source. It can both bring love to our lives AND prevent lilith or other evil forces from snatching children, chickens, or other things we hold dear. It truly is a fruit that can do it all, and next time you see it, I hope you give it a little kiss on the head, and thank it properly for all the cool stuff it can do.

It’s definitely a friend worth having in your food and your garden this season!

That’s all I have for this week, but before I go I want to thank you for continued support of Rooted. We have seen a lot of growth over the past month or so, and I am so appreciative of all of the kind words, feedback, and new subscribers! I can’t believe you are all sharing your car rides, office hours, chores, etc with me, and have spent so many collective hours letting me talk your ears off about plants. For the longest time this was all a weird day dream I had, so it is wild to think that there are so many of you out there joining me in all of this, and coming back each week to learn with me! It is such a joy to be here, and to bring you new facts and fables each week. I have so many things planned, and can’t wait to keep making the show better for all of you. I wouldn’t have these opportunities without you guys, seriously THANK YOU.

Sources

https://marblecrowblog.com/2019/04/19/magical-caraway/

http://www.ourherbgarden.com/herb-history/caraway.html

https://theepicentre.com/spice/caraway/

Caraway seeds hindusim

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6328425/

https://www.iberogast.co.za/power-of-nature/caraway-fruits

https://www.angelfire.com/de/poetry/Flowers/Caraway.html

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-204/caraway

caraway uses africa

caraway seed legend africa

https://www.almanac.com/good-luck-superstitions-and-old-wives-tales?page=4