Dill

About

Dill's name derives from an Old Norse word meaning 'to lull,' referencing its seeds' traditional use as a muscle relaxant, though its flavor itself is sharp rather than mellow. Dill seed has a notably stronger, sharper taste than the fresh herb (dill weed), which starts sweet before turning sour and clean, pairing well with rich fish, meat, cream-based dishes, and other sour ingredients like lemon and vinegar.

Pairs well with dill

• CiLemonDill's citrus quality comes from d-limonene, the same compound found in lemon, though it can also read as orange-like or generically…
• EaPotatoDill is considered essential to Polish potato salad.
• SuEggDill's clean, sharp, citrusy flavor contrasts nicely with egg's sulfurous richness, working best with boiled egg, which stands up to…
• CrCoconutA common pairing in Indian and, especially, Laotian fish and vegetable curries, where in Laos the whole dill plant, including the stalk,…
• EaMushroomPorcini, sometimes called the 'tsar of mushrooms' in Russia, pairs well with pine-scented dill.
• MeBeefThe Big Mac combines beef with dill through its pickles and special sauce.
• BeMintSpearmint and dill contain mirror-image forms of the same flavor compound, carvone (l-carvone in spearmint, d-carvone in dill), which…
• MaShellfishAt Sweden's traditional August crayfish party (kräftskiva), crayfish are boiled in water, sometimes with beer, flavored with 'crown dill',…
• MePorkCabbage, leek and chives are common freshening additions to pork in Chinese dumplings; dill appears more rarely, mainly in dishes from…
• GrAvocadoBoth are grassy but distinct, dill neat and herbal, avocado richer and softer.
• MeLambFinnish tilliliha ('dill meat') is a slow-simmered lamb or beef stew finished with vinegar, sugar, cream and dill.
• MaOily FishScandinavian and Baltic cooking pairs dill's clean flavor with oily fish in many forms, most famously gravlax, salmon cured with sugar,…
• GrPeaDill, diced potato, carrot and pea were once a common combination in Russian salad, now less fashionable but worth reviving.
• GrCucumberDill and cucumber is a classic, refreshing combination, familiar from American deli pickles.
• EaBeetDill and beet are a long-established pairing in northern and eastern European cooking, historically sold bundled together at markets in…
• BrSmoked FishDill fronds are used to garnish smoked salmon and sour-cream buckwheat blini, and to flavor a creamy pasta sauce with smoked salmon; dill…
• MaWhite FishDill is prominent in the cooking of Laos and parts of Thailand, notably in the Hanoi dish Cha Ca La Vong, where turmeric-marinated white…