Cumin is the dried, white fruit with greyish brown colour of a small slender annual herb. The surface of the fruit has 5 primary ridges, alternatively has 4 less distinct secondary ridges bearing numerous short hairs. The plant is 15 to 50 cm high. The aromatic seed like fruit is elongated, ovoid, 3 to 6 mm long, slightly bitter and has a warm flavour. The flowers are white or rose coloured in small umbels.
Cumin is indigenous to Northern Egypt, Syria, the Mediterranean region, Iran and India. It is also cultivated in Mexico, China, Sicily and Malta. Cumin is a tropical plant and is cultivated as a rabi crop in areas where atmospheric humidity during February-March is low.