Mary Allen
Dill is a type of plant used to flavor food nowadays. The leaves are often used for cucumber salads, which is why dill is also called cucumber herb. Dill seeds can also be used for tea.
The stalks of the dill can grow up to a meter high during flowering. The leaves are bluish, narrow, and delicate, almost like threads. The yellow flowers are small and dainty and there are always a lot of them together like a bouquet on the stem. Such an inflorescence is also called an umbel.
Dill comes from the Near East but is now planted all over the world. In Germany, it is one of the most widely planted spices. Plants die off in winter because they can’t stand the cold. In the spring you have to sow their seeds again so that new plants will grow from them.
In the past, dill was used medicinally. You can still see that today by its name. It comes from the Old English word “dylle” and translated means to calm down or soften. At that time, dill was used as a medicinal herb against flatulence, i.e. pain in digestion.