comino
everyday, Mexico
In Mexico cumin is comino, the same word used throughout Spanish. It is common in meat dishes, beans and stews.
Mexican cooks use ground comino in dishes such as frijoles, carne asada marinades and some moles. It is sold whole as comino en grano or ground as comino molido.
Meaning: a spice used in cooking (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
Say "koh-MEE-noh", with the stress on the middle syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not mix it up with the expression me importa un comino, which means "I do not care at all", where comino stands for something of tiny value.
Did you know?
- The phrase me importa un comino is used all over the Spanish-speaking world and literally means "it matters to me as much as a cumin seed".
Examples in context
- Agrégale un poco de comino a los frijoles.Add a little cumin to the beans.
- Necesito comino molido.I need ground cumin.
- Me importa un comino.I do not care at all.
Example conversation
Doña Carmen shops for spices at a market in Oaxaca.
- Doña CarmenBuenos días, ¿tiene comino?Good morning, do you have cumin?
- VendedoraSí, ¿molido o en grano?Yes, ground or whole?
- Doña CarmenMolido, por favor.Ground, please.
