Browse our wonderful collection of cumin recipes, including Chris Horridge's scallops with cumin foam and James Sommerin's spiced duck breast.

Cumin can be bought as whole seeds or ground, and its distinctive aroma - earthy, warm and bitter - is an apt match for a multitude of dishes and ingredients, from chicken kebabs to lentil dhal.

Ground cumin is a very handy addition to sauces, stews and spice rubs as in Marcus Waring's Turkish lamb flatbreads and Marcello Tully's Moroccan chicken. Whole cumin seeds have pack a lot more flavour and it is particularly released when dry-roasted. A great example is Alfred Prasad's rice pulao recipe, in which he fries the cumin with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to impart incredible aroma to the rice.

There is a smaller, darker version of cumin called black cumin, which has an air of smokiness. You can find Alfred Prasad using it in his marinade for grilled paneer.

While cumin is typically associated with savoury dishes, a wonderful contradiction to this is delivered in Paul Foster's Chocolate and cumin fudge recipe.