Common Name: Aromatic and flavorful, dill is the fruit, in its dried form of anethum graveolens, a perennial herb with a short lifespan. The dill seed are often used as a form of spice to add flavor to food, while the fresh as well as dried dill leaves, which are known as dill weed, are used as herbs.
Occurrence: Dill is grown all across the world. Dill is best cultivated during long, hot summers or even in warm weather with lots of sunshine. It is grown in rich soil with good water drainage. Dill seeds from a crop can be used for the next 3 to ten years for further cultivation. A note of caution here: do not plant your dill near fennel plants as the two tend to hybridize.
With yellow flowers and feathery bluish green leaves, the dill plant can grow up to 90 cm of height. You can harvest the seeds by chopping off the flower head from the stalk, just when the dill seeds are ripening. After that, you can place the seed head in an inverted position in a paper packet and leave it in a dry and warm place for about a week before storing them in airtight containers for further use.
The name Dill has its roots in 'dylle', an Anglo-Saxon word, which means to soothe because it has been used for ages to cure digestion problems and even as a form of tranquilizer.
Parts Used: The leaves, oil and seeds of dill are used for treating health problems.
Medicinal Benefits and Uses of Dill Herb:
Dill has several healing uses -
Administered as: Dill is administered as herbal medicines, concoctions, oils and even chewed for benefits.
Culinary uses of Dill Herb:
Fresh dill leaves are flavorful and aromatic and are used in recipes to add that punch and taste. Best used when fresh, dill tends to lose some of its flavor when it dries up. But dill herbs which are freeze-dried retain the flavor and can be used to spice up food. Oval, brown in color, and soft and fluffy, dill seeds have a pungent flavor. Used since ages as flavoring and as a soothing component, the dill seed as well as the dill herb has been featuring in several scrumptious soups and tantalizing pickles. Its strong aroma also packs a punch to dishes from across the world. While the dill seed is extensively used in curries, salad dressings, meat dishes, processed foods, in baking breads and in cheeses; the dill flower heads taste good when tossed in with a salad. Dill leaves are added to dishes as well as mixed in with cottage cheese. The seeds are also used in herb butters, meat stews and an array of soups.