Dill

Dill (Anethum graveolens), depending on where it is grown, is either a perennial or annual herb. It is the sole species of the genus Anethum, though classified by some botanists in a related genus as Peucedanum graveolens (L.) C.B.Clarke.

Culinary use

Fresh and dried dill leaves (sometimes called "dill weed" to distinguish it from dill seed) are used as herbs, mainly in Finland, Sweden, the Baltic, in Russia, and in central Asia.

Like caraway, its fernlike leaves are aromatic and are used to flavor many foods, such as gravlax (cured salmon), borscht and other soups, and pickles (where the dill flower is sometimes used). Dill is best when used fresh, as it loses its flavor rapidly if dried; however, freeze-dried dill leaves preserve their flavor relatively well for a few months.

Dill seed is used as a spice, with a flavor somewhat similar to caraway, but also resembling that of fresh or dried dill weed. Dill oil can be extracted from the leaves, stems and seeds of the plant. Dill is the herb most often added to fish.

Dill is the eponymous ingredient in dill pickles: cucumbers preserved in salty brine and/or vinegar.

In Arabic, dill seed, called ain jaradeh (cricket eye), is used as a spice in cold dishes such as fattoush and pickles.

In Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, dill is called shibint and is used mostly in fish dishes.

In Lao cuisine and parts of northern Thailand, dill is known in English as Laotian coriander and Lao cilantro (Lao: ຜັກຊີ, Thai: ผักชีลาว). In the Lao language, it is called phak see, and in Thai, it is known as phak chee Lao. In Lao cuisine, the herb is typically used in mok pa (steamed fish in banana leaf) and several coconut milk-based curries that contain fish or prawns.

In Romania dill (mărar) is used on a national scale as an ingredient for soups such as borscht, pickles and other dishes; it is often mixed with salted cheese and used as a filling for the langos. Another popular dish with dill as a base ingredient is the dill sauce. Langos is a Hungarian food and Hungarians use dill to make soups and sauces with dill. It is favored to serve dill sauce with meat and eggs. In Hungary people make crepes and fill it with a type of cottage cheese mixed with dill. It is possible that in Romania particularly where Hungarians live in large number the area called Transylvania above listed foods are known and made with dill, still they are Hungarian foods. The Hungarian name for dill is kapor.

In Vietnam, the use of dill in cooking is regional, specifically northern Vietnamese cuisine.

In Iran, dill is known as shevid and is sometimes used with rice and called shevid-polo. It is also used in Iranian aash recipes, and is also called sheved in Persian.

In India, dill is known as shepu (शेपू) in Marathi and Konkani, savaa in Hindi or soa in Punjabi. In Telugu, it is called soya and soya-kura (for herb greens). It is also called sapsige soppu (ಸಪ್ಸಿಗೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು) in Kannada. In Tamil it is known as sada kuppi(சதகுப்பி). In Malayalam, it is ചതകുപ്പ(chathakuppa )or ശതകുപ്പ(sathakuppa). In Sanskrit, this herb is called shatapushpa. In Gujrati, it is known as hariz. In India, dill is prepared in the manner of yellow moong dal as a main-course dish. It is considered to have very good antigas properties,so it is used as mukhwas, or an after-meal digestive. It is also traditionally given to mothers immediately after childbirth. In the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, a smaller amount of fresh dill is mainly cooked along with cut potatoes and fresh fenugreek leaves(Hindi आलू-मेथी-सोया).

In Manipur, dill locally known as pakhon is an essential ingredient of chagem pomba – a traditional Manipuri dish with fermented soybean and rice.

In Serbia, dill is known as mirodjija and is used as an addition to soups, potato and cucumber salads and French fries. It also features in the Serbian proverb "бити мирођија у свакој чорби" which corresponds to the English proverb "to have a finger in every pie".

In Canada, dill is a favourite herb to accompany poached salmon.

In Santa Maria, Azores, dill (endro) is the most important ingredient of the traditional Holy Ghost soup (sopas do Espírito Santo). Dill is found practically anywhere in Santa Maria, and curiously rare in the other Azorean Islands.

Traditional uses

In Anglo-Saxon England, as prescribed in Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England (also called Læceboc) (many of whose recipes were borrowed from Greek medicinal texts), dill was used in many traditional medicines, including medicines against jaundice, headache, boils, lack of appetite, stomach problems, nausea, liver problems, and much more. Dill seeds can be used as a herbal tea in the amount of two teaspoons for one glass of boiling water.