Dill

Photo: flickr user gonemissing

About

Dill has a pleasant aroma and is a very useful culinary herb that is often added to fish and egg dishes, sauces and salads. It is also a key ingredient in the making of pickled onions and gherkins.

Apart from its culinary uses, Dill also has medicinal properties and has been used to aid digestion, stomach cramps in babies, to stimulate milk for nursing mothers, to calm hiccups and more.

Information

Other names: Dill Weed, Dillweed, Laotian Coriander, Lao Cilantro

Translations: Dilles, Krapai, Mărar, Kopar, Thì là, Koper, Dille, सोआ, Endro, Укроп, Άνηθο, شبت, 나도 고수, Kopr, Dil, 莳萝, Anet, Kôpor, Aneto, שמיר, Мирођија, ディル, Aneth, Dild, Eneldo, Кріп, Tilli, Копър

Physical Description

Dill grows between 40–60 cm tall and has slender stems with soft delicate leaves which can be 10–20 cm long. The flowers on dill are white to yellow, in small umbels 2–9 cm in diameter. The seeds are 4–5 mm long and 1 mm thick, and straight to slightly curved with longitudinally ridged surface.

Colors: Green, Yellow, White,

Tasting Notes

Flavors: sweet

Mouthfeel: Tangy, Fresh, Pungent, Herbacious

Food complements: Fish, Pickles, Poultry, Baked goods, Smoked salmon, Cream cheese

Wine complements: Sweet white wines

Beverage complements: Tea, Beer, Ale, Cider

Substitutes: Tarragon, Fennel leaves, Fennel seed, Dill seed, Dried dill, Anise seed

Selecting and Buying

Seasonality: january, february, march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober, november, december

Peak: june, july, august

Choosing: If buying fresh Dill make sure that it is not too droopy as it loses its flavour quickly once picked.

Buying: Dill can be bought all year round in most stores. It is available fresh or freeze dried in airtight containers.

Procuring: Cultivation of Diill requires hot summers with lots of sunshine. Even partial shade will reduce the yield substantially and it is best grown in rich, well drained soil.

The seeds are harvested by cutting the flower heads off the stalks when the seeds beginning to ripen. The seed heads are then placed upside down in a paper bag and left in a warm place for a week to dry. After a week the seeds have separate from the stems for easy storage in an airtight container.

Dill can also be used to create an oil which is also used in cooking. Dill oil can be extracted from the leaves, stems and seeds of the plant.

Preparation and Use

If buying fresh Dill make sure that it is not too droopy as it loses its flavour quickly once picked.

Cleaning: Rinse lightly and shake off excess water.

Conserving and Storing

Dill seeds can keep indefinitely when kept away from sunlight in an airtight container

Social/Political

Dill seeds were traditionally used to soothe the stomach after meals in India especially where it is considered to have very good anti-gas properties. It is traditionally given to mothers immediately after childbirth.

History: Twigs of dill were reportedly found in the tomb of Amenhotep II, although they report that the earliest archeological evidence for the cultivation of Dill comes from late Neolithic lake shore settlements in Switzerland.] Traces of Dill have also been found in Roman ruins in Great Britain.