DILL

(species Anethum graveolens), fennellike annual or biennial herb of the parsley family (Apiaceae, or Umbelliferae) or its dried, ripe fruit, or seeds, and leafy tops; these are used to season foods, particularly in eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Native to Mediterranean countries and southeastern Europe, dill is now widely cultivated in Europe, India, and North America. The entire plant is aromatic, and the small stems and immature umbels are used for flavouring soups, salads, sauces, fish, sandwich fillings, and particularly pickles. Dill has a warm, slightly sharp flavour somewhat reminiscent of caraway. The whole seeds and the seed oil have carminative properties and have been used in treating flatulent colic. The fruit, or seed, is broadly oval in shape, about 0.14 inch (3.5 mm) long, with three longitudinal dorsal ridges and two winglike lateral ridges. It is light brown in colour. The essential oil content is about 3 percent; its principal component is carvone.