Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Black Cumin

Black cumin

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers black cumin's optimal flavour pairings.

Black cumin is defined by the unmistakable flavours of thyme and seed, but beneath its bitter surface lies a nuanced symphony of subtle flavour notes: fenugreek, liquorice, and even hints of rosemary that give it remarkable depth. The key to an exceptional pairing lies in recognising how these elements harmonise and interact.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our findings reveal, for instance, how bavette's gallinaceous tones can enrich black cumin, or how lamb rump's ovine notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the earthy herbalness.

Flavour Profile Of Black Cumin Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour

Flavour notes evoked by black cumin

Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Black cumin: Thyme, Rosemary, Anise, Sotolon, Seedy, Resinous, Eucalyptol, Camphor, Pine, Allicin, Poivre, Ginger, Sage, Cedar, Balsam, Bay leaf, Coriander seed, Hoppy, Fennel, Basil, Chamomile, Allspice, Mustard, Onion


Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of black cumin

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. spice, herbal, and vegetal) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

The Flavour Code


To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.


The Flavours That Harmonise With Thyme Notes

Strength of Association Between Flavours

The flavours most associated with thyme notes are: Porcine, Fatty, Asparagus, Copper, Penicillium, Potato, Ovine, Musky, Charred, Starch, Poultry, Parsnip, Dried Porcini, Pea, Proteolytic.

Our analysis shows that the flavour of thyme is strongly associated with the flavour of lamb. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a lamby flavour, such as lamb rump, when pairing with the thyme-like aroma notes of black cumin.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing black cumin with lamb rump.

  • Barbecued lamb rump with smoked crème fraiche, aubergine, dukkah and pomegranate
    Great British Chefs

    This classic combination of lamb, aubergine, crème fraiche and pomegranate is given a new lease of life by James Cochran, who employs some neat techniques to make a sophisticated dinner party main. James cooks the lamb sous vide, but you can just as easily do it in the oven.

    • Harmonious Flavours Of Black Cumin


    Just as our analysis showed that thyme and porky flavour notes are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour accents present in black cumin. For instance, the rosemary notes of black cumin are strongly associated with porcini and oystery flavours.

    The aroma accents linked to the various aroma notes of black cumin can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

    Flavour Profile Of Black Cumin And Its Complementary Flavour Notes

    Flavour notes evoked by black cumin

    Flavours complementary to black cumin

    Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Black cumin: Thyme, Rosemary, Anise, Sotolon, Seedy, Resinous, Eucalyptol, Camphor, Pine, Allicin, Poivre, Ginger, Sage, Cedar, Balsam, Bay leaf, Coriander seed, Hoppy, Fennel, Basil, Chamomile, Allspice, Mustard, Onion


    Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of black cumin

    Matching Flavour Profiles


    The flavour profile of bavette offers many of the aroma accents complementary to black cumin, including poultry and garlic notes. Because the flavour profile of bavette has many of the of the features that are complementary to black cumin, they are likely to pair very well together.

    Prominent Flavour Notes Of Bavette Are Represented By Longer Bars

    Flavour notes evoked by bavette

    Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Bavette: Iron, Poultry, Bovine, Allicin, Proteolytic, Ovine, Charred, Porcini, Oyster, Seedy, Gamey, Tomatoey, Asparagus, Sotolon, Adipose, Toasted, Elderflower, Rice, Buttery, Mustard, Hay, Potato, Koji, Onion, Smoky, Glutamic


    Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of bavette

    The chart above shows the unique profile of bavette across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with black cumin.


    Recipes That Pair Black Cumin With Bavette


  • Bavette Shami Kebabs with black cardamom, black cumin and cinnamon
    Great British Chefs

    Sumayya shares her glorious shami kebab recipe, but makes hers with slow cooked bavette steak rather than the traditional ground beef. Laced with black cardamom, black cumin and herbs, these kebabs will make a wonderful celebration starter. Read more about Sumayya's foodie Eid memories here.

    • Linked Flavour Notes


    Looking at the accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of black cumin, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

    Black Cumin's Harmonious Flavours And Complementary Ingredients

    Black cumin's Strongest Flavours

    Complementary Flavours

    Ingredients with Complementary Flavours





    Flavour groups:


    Nectarous

    Acidic

    Herbal

    Spice

    Vegetal

    Maillard

    Earthy

    Woody

    Carnal

    The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of black cumin, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aroma notes complementary to black cumin.


    What To Drink With Black Cumin


    The porcine notes in chorizo-infused beer make it a perfect pairing with black cumin. Likewise, the ovine flavours in pecorino create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of black cumin below.




    How Flavonomics Works


    We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

    Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

    Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

    We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

    These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Black cumin), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.


    The content on our analysis blog is semi-automated. All of the words were manually written by a human, but the content is updated dynamically based on the data.