Black seed oil ✦

Huile de nigelle

What it is

Nigella seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and Arabic still calls the seed habbat al-barakah, the seed of blessing, after a hadith recorded by al-Bukhari describing it as a cure for everything but death. The oil is a modern extraction of a very old seed: pressed cold, it keeps a thymoquinone bite closer to oregano and black pepper than to any other oil on the shelf.

In the kitchen

Never heat it — in a hot pan it turns harsh and metallic within seconds. Half a teaspoon poured at the table over yoghurt, lentils or roast lamb is a full dose; it is more assertive than any chilli oil.

Goes with

Yogurt Chickpeas Lamb Honey Tomato Garlic

Same species

Nigella seed

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