Contributed by Angela Cleveland

For many people , dill and pickles go hand-in-hand – but this versatile herb can also be used to enhance flavour, colour and creativity in many dishes.

Dill weed, a tall feathery annual, orginates from the Mediterranean and Southern Russia. Both the seeds and the leaves (also called dill weed) of the plant are used in cooking, but each have distinct flavours. The seeds have a clean, pungent flavour that some may relate to caraway. The weed has a more milder flavour and is used to enhance flavour in a variety of dishes.

Dill has been used since ancient times as a “medicinal” herb to aid with upset stomachs, colicky babies, and poor appetites. Other historic folklore uses for the herb include placing it above a babies bed to ward off evil spirits, bathing in it to make the bather irresistable, and smelling it to cure the hiccups. The word “dill’ means “to lull” which may be a reference to its use for calming babies. The weed can be dried or used fresh to enhance the flavour of many dishes. Dill can also be used in flower arrangements, as a backdrop to dried flower projects, and pressed into candles. Here are some examples of some “dillicious” dishes:

"Barbara's Dill Dip" - see Dips, Spreads & Sauces section of our Recipe Archive

"Carrots with Orange and Dill" - see Vegetable Side Dishes section of our Recipe Archive

"Dill Wheat Bread" - see "Baked Goods" section of our Recipe Archive

Ingredients

n/a

Instructions

n/a

Read more recipes