Practical guide — Spices & seeds
Nigella seed: what it is and how to use it
Nigella seed — also called black seed, habba sawda or black cumin — is a small black seed with a faintly peppery aroma. In Moroccan cooking it flavours bread, fresh cheese, marinades and preserves. Here is how to recognise it, use it and store it.
- 1
Recognising nigella
Small matte black seeds, two to three millimetres, with a peppery aroma a little like oregano. It appears under several names: nigella, black seed, habba sawda (حبة السوداء), black cumin or kalonji. Botanically it is Nigella sativa. Despite the nickname it is unrelated to onion or to cumin seed.
- 2
Toasting it for a few seconds
Dry, in a pan, one to two minutes over medium heat, stirring: as soon as the aroma rises it is done. The seeds are small and burn quickly — better to stop early than late. Toasting revives the aroma of seeds that have spent months in a bag.
- 3
Using it in the kitchen
Scattered on Moroccan bread just before baking, on fresh cheese or a salad, in a meat marinade, in vegetable preserves and in some pastries. It can also be crushed in a mortar for a paste, but whole seed keeps its aroma far longer.
- 4
Storing it
Like every seed and nut: away from air, light and moisture, in an airtight jar in a dry, dark cupboard. Whole, the seeds keep for months; crushed, for a few weeks only.
- 5
Where to find it in Morocco
We do not sell nigella seed on its own in the current catalogue — this page says so plainly rather than sending you to an empty category. What we roast with nigella is almonds: hand-roasted almonds, coated, where nigella brings exactly that peppery aroma.
Products for each step
Taste roasted nigella
Nigella Almonds are hand-roasted in our workshops and delivered anywhere in Morocco within 24–48 h, payable on delivery.
Cash on delivery · Turboliv within 24–48 h in major cities · Free delivery over 600 MAD · WhatsApp +212 764 496 121