If you haven’t heard of or seen cumin before, the three millimetre oblong seeds are longitudinally ridged and appear in slightly varying shades of sienna. Cumin is a delectable spice with penetrating warmth on the palate and a cutting pepperiness with rounding undertones of citrus. Some believe it smells like dirty socks although I’m not in that camp!

I have taken to buying big jars of cumin rather than the small supermarket size canisters and I highly suggest making the investment in a big jar of cumin if you are student like myself. Want to deceive your teacher that you have spent the last week studying rather than spending time out with friends? Pliny records that scholar Parcius Latro consumed cumin to induce a pallid complexion acceptable to a person studying for long hours. His method was to eat it with bread, water or wine. If you are otherwise inclined, you can smoke it.

In Sanskrit cumin is called Jira meaning ‘that which helps digestion’. Medicinally it is also considered very helpful for heart disease, swellings, tastelessness, vomiting and chronic fever. Helpful when wanting to avoid those expensive medical bills. You can either chew on the seeds or simply boil cumin seeds in water; the people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu call this ­jeera water. If you do end up dying of a studying induced fever, cumin can be used to mummify your remains ancient Egyptian style. Alternatively you could preserve your brain in a jar similar to German sauerkraut, though I can’t guarantee it will be as tasty.

For students that trying to survive on a tight budget (and that’s most of us!) here are some cumin related cooking tips. When tyring to eat on two dollars a day Cumin is a great way to flavour the all-important staple, rice. This spiced dish is native to the Punjabi region of India where it is called jeera pulav. For these people, serving plain rice is a sign that someone in the household is ill. Could be a good way to ward off any unwanted company. Cumin is also used in many different spice mixes such as tex-mex blends, garam masala and curry powders, and everyone loves a good taco or curry at the end of a hard day. They are easy and cheap to make, will fill up that roommate who has hollow legs, and there’s always leftovers!

Dukkha can be expensive so make your own!Dukkha can be expensive so make your own!

Scarred to begin using unusual spices to liven up your meals? Cumin is a great place to start. Originating from the Levant region in the Middle East, cumin has been exported along the spice trade for hundreds for years and can be found in many cuisines. So finding recipes to your tastes should be a synch.

Dukkha can be expensive so make your own!