Our Wild Mountain Cumin has a savory, penetrating aroma and bright, umami flavor. The tiny, oblong black seeds are hand-picked by foragers in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. Botanically distinct from common cumin, our Wild Mountain Cumin is renowned in Afghanistan and throughout central and south Asia for its delicious flavor as well as its medicinal properties. It has a savory, penetrating aroma and bright, umami flavor evocative of grilled meats and sweet caramelized onions.
What they're saying:
"This made me question every taste of cumin I'd had before." Food & Wine
“This is like a supercharged version of what you know and love from Sichuan food or tacos. It’s incredibly versatile.” Rikki Giambruno, Chef & Owner, Hyacinth
- Origin: Badakhshan, Afghanistan
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Aliases: Black cumin, Persian cumin, kala jeera, Elwendia persica
- Process: Sun-dried
- Ingredients: Whole wild cumin (Bunium persicum)
- Tasting notes: Grilled Onion • Dried Apricots • Mountain Air
COOKING
- Spinach with Cumin and Garlic
- Mahi Mahi with Stewed Spiced Peaches
- Moong Dal with Garam Masala
- Bhopali Pilaf
- Moroccan Chicken Kebabs
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Qabuli Pilau/Spiced Rice
- Seared Spice-Crusted Fish & Spicy Pineapple Salsa
- Simple Spiced Tofu Scramble
- Sheet Pan Balsamic Chicken with Za'atar Chickpea Salad
- Pairs well with: Black Urfa Chili, Smoked Pimenton Paprika, Purple Stripe Garlic
SOURCING
Our Wild Mountain Cumin is sourced directly from networks of foragers in the Hindu Kush mountain range of Badakhshan province in the northeastern corner of Afghanistan. The Hindu Kush range is characterized by steep, rocky peaks cut through by green river valleys; the significant snowfall in the winter results in abundant vegetation in the short spring and summer seasons despite low rainfall. The rocky soil cultivates an ancient and resilient varietal of cumin with a warm, pungent flavor and irresistible aroma.
The cumin grows wild, and other than the small quantities we export, is harvested only for local consumption; there is no scalability or institutional infrastructure for export, and we are only able to source this very rare cumin varietal because of Burlap & Barrel founder Ethan’s years working in Badakhshan and surrounding provinces.
Burlap & Barrel is the only importer of Wild Mountain Cumin from Afghanistan. Our cumin grows wild and can be considered naturally organic, as no pesticides or other chemicals are used in its cultivation.
Meet the Forager: Ali collects our Wild Mountain Cumin from foragers who bring it down from the high mountains of Afghanistan's Hindu Kush to Faizabad, where he cleans it and prepares it for shipment.
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Fantastic, as always
Another great example of how fresh and noticeably more flavorful B&B spices are than anyone else's. Love to use this cumin on roasted broccoli or cauliflower, among other things!

Amazing cumin!
Extremely aromatic and delicious! What more could you want in a cumin?

Excellent
It's very good, quite flavorful. It doesn't seem to taste different than a high quality commercial option except that the freshness really stands out. Excellent stuff. I'll buy again.

Burlap and barrel
I have ordered and reordered many things and have not been disappointed with any of the wonderful products!!!

Great cumin!!
Love the scent; the flavor; versatility. Use instead of ground cumin for everything.

Phenomenal
I made taco filling the same way I’ve made for decades. While having dinner I was trying to figure out what made them so out of the park flavorful this time. The change was using Wild Mountain Cumin. Unbelievable flood of favor. Tacos, Chili, fajitas, etc. Wish I had a wider repertoire of recipes that call for cumin. I’ll need to work on that.
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