Cummin: (Heb. kammon; i.e., a "condiment"), the fruit or seed of an
umbelliferous plant, the Cuminum sativum, still extensively
cultivated in the East. Its fruit is mentioned in
(Isaiah 28:25,27) In
the New Testament it is mentioned in
(Matthew 23:23) where our Lord
pronounces a "woe" on the scribes and Pharisees, who were zealous in
paying tithes of "mint and anise and cummin," while they omitted the
weightier matters of the law." "It is used as a spice, both bruised,
to mix with bread, and also boiled, in the various messes and stews
which compose an Oriental banquet." Tristram, Natural History.
