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270 comments/reviews

1. what we call mangraila in english

   • mangraila are known as nigella seeds in english and kalonji in hindi.

2. Marathi names of some of the spices from your list:

   1. Bay leaf – Tej Paan
   2. Black Cardamom – Mothi Ilaichi
   3. Black Cumin seeds – Kale Jeere
   4. Black mustard seed – Mohri/Rai
   5. Black Salt – Kala Meeth
   6. Caraway Seeds – Shahjeera
   7. Chilli powder – Lal Mirchi Powder
   8. Clarified Butter – Shuddha Toop
   9. Cloves – Lavang
   10. Coconut Desiccated – Khobra Kiss
   11. Green Coriander – Sambhar/Kothimbir
   12. Cumin seeds – Jeere
   13. Curry leaves – Curry Patta
   14. Fenugreek – Methi
   15. Sultanas – Manuka

   • thanks for taking time to write the names in marathi. i will update in some time. thanks again.

3. Harre
   Murre
   Pippar
   In english

   • long pepper.

4. Hi.. I wish to give you some updates for few in tamil as follows,
   Mustard – kadughu
   Salt-uppu
   Coconut dry – ularndha thaengai
   Dry fenugreek leaves- kaaindha vendhaya ilaigal
   Dry pomegranate seeds- kaaindha maadhulai vidhaigal
   Screwpine/pandan leaves- rambai ilaigal
   Watermelon seeds- tharboosani vidhaigal

   • thank you very much sharulatha. i have updated these in the post.

5. What to call kangi ke beej, what we use in panjari, in English?

   • i guess you are talking about melon seeds (called as magaz in hindi) that are added in panjari.

6. Hello Dassana,

   I’m a big fan of your site, I use it whenever I would like to cook Indian food, or just to read about it. I have a question about shah jeera, which you call caraway in English on your site. I’ve googled it and some Indians call it caraway while others call it black cumin. In my Indian cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey she writes black cumin is shah(i) jeera. In the Indian food store, on the black cumin package, the label also says kala shah jeera. In the chart on this page, you list shah jeera and black cumin separately. Caraway (in Latin: carum carvi) has a very strong aroma, a bit like fennel and we use it a lot in several European cuisines and to flavour rye bread, potato dishes, etc. It smells very different from cumin. Black cumin (Latin name: Bunium bulbocastanum) looks a bit similar but has a very different aroma, more similar to cumin but to my nose, does not smell so pleasant, it has an earthier smell.
   Could you please help me with this? Shall I use caraway or black cumin when you write shahjeera in your recipes? Thank you!

   • thank esther. in india, both kala jeera and shah jeera are sold separately. kala jeera has a bitter taste and used in ayurvedic medicines. whereas shah jeera is aromatic and pleasant. from what i know caraway seeds is shah jeera. i would suggest you to use caraway seeds and not black cumin. i hope i have managed to solve the confusion.

7. Hello, my friend bought me a bag of green fennel seed from an East Indian store. What are they used for? They do not look the same as regular fennel seed. They are much smaller and very green. Can you please clarify this for me please? Thank you in advance, love this site!

   • jacquie, its the same fennel seed. depending on the variety, the color can be from green to greenish-yellow or greenish-brown. the size also will vary. you can lightly toast them and store in an air tight jar. then use them as mouth freshener. in india after every meal, fennel seeds are served in homes as well as in restaurants. having them after a meal helps to digest the food. you can even temper the dishes that you make with fennel seeds.

8. Looking for vernacular names Hindi-Tamil-Malayalam etc for “TILL”

   • you mean sesame seeds. in hindi sesame seeds are called as ’til’. in malayalam and tamil, known as ‘ellu’

9. What is the english name of muthungai powder(in malayalam) used in keralayurveda

   • you mean murungai?