When I think of dill leaves I remember how — during their pregnancies — all my friends were given suva. Suva is none other than dill and most people roast the seeds and have it as a mouth freshener. Dill mixed with sesame seeds and fennel seeds promotes lactation. But dill can be eaten with potatoes as a delicious salad.
Dill is a unique plant that belongs to the sama family — the same group as parsley, cumin and bay. Both its leaves and seeds are used as seasoning. The plant’s green leaves are wispy and fernlike and have a soft, sweet taste.
Dried dill seeds are light brown in colour and oval in shape, featuring one flat side and one convex ridged side. The seeds are similar in taste to caraway (shahi jeera) — a flavour that is aromatic, sweet and citrusy, but also slightly bitter.
But dill is not used only for flavouring. It has multiple health benefits as well. It is a very potent antioxidant and hence protects the body from free radical attack. The essential oils it contains have anti-carcinogenic effects and help protect the body against cancers.
Dill is very rich in calcium and hence is important in reducing the bone loss that occurs after menopause and in some conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Dill contains dietary fibres which assist in the control of blood cholesterol levels as well as blood sugar levels. Many Indian women are anaemic and dill helps here as well. Just put a handful of dill in your food as it is rich in iron.
Dill also has a good amount of magnesium and hence is good for bones and circulation. And last but not least, it can be used as a sort of gripe water in colic attacks as it helps to soothe the stomach.
The writer is a Mumbai-based nutritionist