Caraway

Caraway (Carum Carvi or Carui), a species of Umbelliferae, which has long been valued and cultivated in Europe for the sake of the well-known aromatic 'caraway seeds' which it bears; these being, however, in strictness not seeds, but the mericarps, into which the fruit in this order splits when ripening (see UMBELLIFERÆ). Their properties are due to the volatile caraway-oil, which is contained in the large oil-glands (vittæ) of the fruit, and is distilled on a large scale, chiefly for the preparation of the liqueur known as kümmel, but also for use in perfumery and in pharmacy, as an aromatic stimulant and flavouring ingredient. Caraways are, however, chiefly used entire as a spice by bakers and confectioners, and the cultivation of the plant thus attains considerable importance, particularly in Germany and Holland.