Caraway

Caraway is direct-sown or transplanted into full sun to light shade in moist, well-drained soil, tolerating a pH range from about 4.8 to 7.6. As a biennial it forms a rosette of leaves in its first year and sends up a flowering stalk in its second, after which the plant dies; annual forms exist but are less productive.

Growing: Established plants develop deep roots that resist disturbance, so they are best left undisturbed once sited, and they often self-sow freely in suitable spots. Plants grown in full sun produce richer essential oils and a stronger aroma, adequate and even moisture improves seed yield, and the crop tolerates a range of soil types but performs poorly on very light or waterlogged ground. Caraway is a good companion for shallow-rooted plants and can help break up subsoil on heavy, wet land, though it does not do well growing near fennel or wormwood.

Caraway can be troubled by carrot root fly, aphids, and parsley worms, as well as by anthracnose and white mold.

Seed is harvested once the achenes mature and dry on the plant, typically in fall; commercial crops are cut and the fruit threshed or distilled soon after cutting. The feathery leaves are picked and used fresh, and the first-year root can also be lifted and cooked as a vegetable before the plant sends up its flowering stalk.

Culinary: Caraway seeds season rye and soda breads, cheeses, sausages, stews, and pickles, and flavor spirits such as German Kümmel, while the feathery leaves are eaten fresh in salads, teas, stews, and soups. The plant's first-year root is also edible and can be cooked like a root vegetable.

Industrial: The seeds are distilled for an essential oil rich in carvone, which is used as a fragrance component in cosmetics, perfumes, and soaps.

Medicinal: Caraway has long served as a household remedy for digestive complaints, and in traditional ethnomedicine in Europe and Iran it has been used for dyspepsia, bloating, and flatulence, and as a folk aid to support breastfeeding and ease menstrual discomfort.

Caraway is native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa, with its origins traced to temperate Eurasia, and archaeological evidence points to its use as a spice for more than 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest recorded spices. The Romans and Egyptians used it both as a seasoning and in medicine, and cultivation later became concentrated in Germany, Poland, and Russia, from which it spread into wider culinary use across Europe.