This Unexpected Spice Adds Loads Of Flavor To Fruit

Whether baked, grilled, macerated, or simply enjoyed fresh, fruit needs very little to make it more delicious. But the beauty of these natural treasures is that they are also incredible culinary cooperators, and there's a particular spice that can boost the flavor of your favorite fruit.

You can trace the truly ancient origins of cumin way back. It has been showing up in applications for millennia, even making appearances in both the Old and New Testaments, and these seeds were called upon for more than culinary power — in fact, their presence in pyramids suggests they were used for the preservation of human remains.

And while we may no longer use them to prepare and protect mummies, when added to your favorite fruits, this little spice brings major flavor. A range of descriptors can be applied to cumin seeds (which are not technically seeds, but also fruit themselves), from bitter to sweet and earthy to nutty, among others. Cumin's moody and warm qualities are a perfect foil for so many bright, sweet, tart and naturally acidic fruits like citrus, but can complement darker and more concentrated fruit flavors like fig or date, too.

You can pair cumin with fruit in a variety of ways. It can be purchased ground or in seed form (the latter look a lot like smaller caraway seeds, so watch out for confusion). The powder is extra convenient for blending into a spice mixture like fruit chaat, which you can dust over grapes, apples, and bananas. You can create an oil infused with toasted cumin seeds for tossing with a fruit salad, or as the base for an orange and cumin vinaigrette. A cumin-infused salt may be tailor made for a protein dish like roasted lamb, but is also a way to season and elevate your fruit. Create a jam or chutney with cumin, paired with tamarind and fig, apricot, or strawberries and other spices like cloves and nutmeg, which you can use to simply spread on toast or as a complement to savory dishes.

As for which fruits are the best cumin collaborators, you can start with citrus like grapefruit, kumquat, lemon, and mandarin, stone fruits like nectarine and peach, as well as tropical flavors like mango and guava. And don't forget, there are plenty of fruits that we may not even remember are actually in the fruit category. Pumpkin, eggplant, and avocado are all technically fruits, and also make ideal cumin partners.

Part of what makes cumin so fun in the kitchen is its range. Cuisines from all over the world incorporate this spice, and you'll find it in classic dishes from Mexico, India, North Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, among others. Cumin buddies up well with many other spices and herbs  that work with fruit, too, so you'll have no shortage of inspiration. Try incorporating cumin when you pull out the cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coriander, sumac, and mint, thyme, or cilantro.

Cumin is complemented by smoke as well, so you can coat some stone fruit with a little of the ground spice and toss it the grill and dress it with lime juice for a spicy-sweet-smoky-citrusy summer treat. Or lean into the swicy food movement with grilled fruit skewers with spicy maple cumin glaze, which also features cayenne.

On the savory side, create a roast pork with a cumin crust and pair it with a fig and blood orange condiment. Fried rice with pineapple and cumin is fragrant and satisfying, while a sesame apricot tofu gets a complexity from this spice, and will please vegetarians in your life. The cumin-fruit dynamic duo can pull off dessert, too; a cumin apple pie is an unexpected twist on the classic, while a pillow of cumin meringue over fresh berries is simple but equally impressive. Once you see the strengths of this combo, you'll be coming back to cumin for so many fruity dishes.