Tharid ثريد (Sareed)

 
 Ajwain (carom seeds)
  Strongly pungent and aromatic, ajwain seeds are one of the    

  popular spices commonly feature in Pakistan/Indian and   

  Middle-Eastern cuisines. Botanically, the spicy seeds belong   

  to the family of apiaceae (umbelliferae), of the genus,  

  Trachyspermum. Scientific name: Trachyspermum 

  copticum. The umbellifers are the members of carrot or 

  parsley family, which includes many herbs and spices such    

 asdill, fennel, anise seed, and caraway. Some of common names for the seeds are ajowan seeds, carom seeds etc.

The seeds are olive green to brown in color, similar in appearance to cumin or caraway seeds with vertical stripes on their outer surface. Ajwain seeds have similar taste like that of thyme since it contains essential oilthymol.

 

Etymology

English ajwain or ajwan is just the ro­man­ized spelling of the urdu name ajvan Most Eu­ro­pean lan­guages have similar names, although the spelling is some­times varied, e. g., in Dutch ajowan or German Adiowan. The Hindi name can be traced back to Sanskrit yavanaka or yavani which is derived from the adjective yavana Greek. Modern Northern and Southern Indian names like Nepali javano Gujarati yavano , Bengalijowan , Punjabi aijavain and Tamil omam have the same source. This suggests that the spice originated from the Eastern Mediterranean and arrived in India in the course of the Greek conquest of Central Asia.
Indian name was also transferred to Ethiopia as azmud [አዝሙድ], which is, however, used to designate two different plants: Ajwain is termed netch azmud white azmud, whereas tiqur azmud  European and Western Asian lan­guages relate ajwain to Egypt: Turkish mısır anason Egyptian anise or Finnishkoptilainen kumina Coptic caraway. Indeed, there is ajwain culti­vation in Egypt, but it is not certain whether ajwain was originally native to Egypt. Note the seem­ingly similar Slovak name egyptská čierna rasca Egyptian black caraway which, however, does not refer to ajwain but to nigella.
I cannot explain the Arabic name al-kamun al-muluki cumin of the king. Yet there is an interesting parallel in the materia medica of Dioskurides: The description of a herb ammios  comes very close to ajwain, and Dioskurides remarks that the plant is also known as Ethiopian or Royal cumin. Old German pharmaceutical catalogues often name ajwain as Königskümmel king’s caraway which is probably derived from either of these two sources. Quite typically for older German herbal literature, there is confusion between cumin and caraway.
Outside of the Subcontinent, ajwain is not much used. It enjoys, however, some popularity in the Arabic world and is found inberbere, a spice mixture of Ethiopia which both shows Indian and Arabic heritage .
Ajwain is much used as a medical plant in Ayurvedic medicine (India). Mainly, it helps against diseases of the digestive tract and fever. In India, where any amount of tap water can result in arbitrary complications, ajwain often comes to the traveller’s rescue: Just chew one spoonful of the fruits for a few minutes and wash down with hot water. In the West, thymol is used in medicines against cough and throat irritation. 
 Health benefits of Ajwain

·    Ajwain seeds contain many health benefiting essential oils such as    

     thymol, a monopterone derivative class of chemical compound, which   

     gives aromatic fragrances to seeds. It also contains -pinene, cymene,  

     limonene and terpinene.
·    The active principles in the ajwain may help increase the digestive     

     function of the intestinal tract by increasing gut juices (gastro-intestinal   

     secretions).
·    Thymol, the essential oil obtained from ajwain has local anaesthetic, 

     anti-bacterial and antifungal properties.
·    Like caraway, ajowan seeds are rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins, and  

     anti-oxidants.
 Selection and storage

Ajwain are readily available in spice stores specialized in Indian or Middle-Eastern items. In general, whole ajwain seeds displayed for sale unlike in other spices such as dill, cumin, coriander etc. Buy fresh, wholesome, compact seeds that emanate rich thyme like flavor when rubbed between fingers.
Once at home, store the seeds in an airtight container and place in cool dark place away from sunlight, and humidity. Generally, ajowan seeds should be used as early as possible since they lose flavor rather quickly, largely because of evaporation of essential oils.

Medical uses

• Ajwain seeds have long been used in traditional ayurvedic and unani medicines for various ailments. Extraction obtained from this spice sometimes used as carminative in treating flatulence and indigestion.
• Thymol's germicide and antiseptic properties utilized in many cough remedies. In India, the seeds are used to ease asthma.
• Ajwain seed oil has highest percentage of thymol.

Culinary uses

Ajwain seeds mainly feature in savory Indian, Pakistani, and Middle-Eastern cooking. In order to keep the fragrance and flavor intact, ajowan seeds generally crushed just before preparing dishes and added to the cooking recipes at final stages. This is because prolonged cooking results in evaporation of essential oils.
§  In Punjab province of India and Pakistan, the spice seeds particularly added to make bread known asajwain paratha.
§  Some Indian vegetarian bean/lentil and chicken/fish curries contain this spice and in the Middle East, it is used to flavor meat and rice dishes.
§  The seeds generously used in snacks, spicy biscuits, to flavor drinks, soups, sauces in India.

They also used in pickling along with fenugreek, mustard seeds, turmeric etc.

Safety profile

Since ajwain seeds induce gut secretions, they may exacerbate existing stomach ulcer/ulcer bleeding conditions. In addition, recipes prepared using this spice may be avoided in individuals with liver diseases, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis conditions.