Dill is a popular herb that has become a kitchen staple for many households. If you’re new to cooking, you might have questions about dill. You might find yourself wondering, what does dill taste like?
This article will tell you all you need to know about dill, including its flavor. We’ll also share what foods it goes well with. This way, aside from the classic dill pickle, you’ll know where to use it.
Dill herb comes from the Dill plant, Anethum graveolens. The plant belongs to the Apiaceae family or the parsley family. This family is also where carrots, celery, anise, caraway, and cumin belong.
The dill plant is the edible garnish. It is also known for dill seed, a popular spice.
People also call the herb dill weed to differentiate it from dill seeds, also known as dill spice. After all, the dill herb comes from the dill leaves, which are thin and fiber-like strands of green.
The dill plant is an annual herb that reseeds itself. So, if you have this in your garden, you don’t have to worry about replanting them for another year’s harvest.
People use dill weed as a seasoning, particularly in Asian and European dishes.
This fragrant herb is available in fresh and dried forms. Most grocery stores have them. But you can order dill online if you don’t have time to do a grocery run.
If you cannot find any dill herb, you can use dill seeds in their place. Use a 1:1 substitution ratio for the best results. Or look for other alternatives to dill.
Dill herb has feathery green leaves.
The plant grows between 2-3 feet tall and bears yellow flowers in umbels. It has slender, hollow stems that are smooth to the touch and have a slight bitter taste.
Dill seeds are small and oval shaped with a brownish-green color.
They have a sweet and slightly pungent, spicy aroma with hints of caraway and citrus.
When dried, the leaves lose some of their flavor but still provide a pleasant, fragrant scent.
Dill weed tastes sweet and grassy and has hints of the licorice flavor reminiscent of anise.
It has a bright flavor due to its menthol notes and its citrus-like taste. That said, the taste of dill is closest to caraway seeds.
It’s safe to say that dill has a complex flavor profile thanks to its carvone and limonene content.
Carvone is a natural chemical responsible for dill’s menthol flavor. This chemical is also present in spearmint and caraway. Limonene, on the other hand, gives dill a citrus taste. This chemical is also present in the peels of citrus fruits like oranges and lemons.
These naturally-occurring chemicals give dill its strong herby, and spicy scent. The herb is very aromatic, so much so that if you refrigerate dill uncovered, your entire fridge will smell like it. However, this scent is fresh and pleasant, so you might not mind.
Dill has a potent flavor and taste, so a little goes a long way when you use it in dishes.
Remember, however, that this strong flavor easily gets lost when you cook the herb. For this reason, adding dill to your dish toward the end of the cooking process is best.
Similarly, if you want to enjoy the taste of dill, use it in raw dishes.
Dill is unlike other herbs, where the dried version has a more intense taste than the fresh herb.
The opposite is true for dill. Dill loses most of its flavor once it dries, so fresh dill weed has a stronger taste.
If you are thinking about replacing fresh dill with dried dill weed, use more than what your recipe calls for.
Despite the complex flavor profile of dill, many foods surprisingly pair well with it.
At the top of the list is cucumber. After all, dill is most popular for its addition to the classic dill pickles. Homemade pickles are just pickled cucumbers with dill.
Adding dill to the mix can enhance the flavor of other pickled vegetables, like pearl onions and baby carrots.
Dill also pairs well with seafood, lemon juice, sour cream, cream cheese and garlic.
That said, it makes a perfect ingredient for a baked salmon recipe.
You can also eat dill with strong-tasting proteins like lamb and beef liver, as in this Beef Liver Pate dish.
This aromatic herb tastes amazingly great with cheese and yogurt. Try using this combination in a creamy dip for pita chips or fresh vegetables and see for yourself.
Egg dishes, vegan potato leek soups, and potato salad taste better with some dill as well.
Dill is perfect as a garnish; its feathery leaves give your dish an aesthetic appeal and a unique aroma. Add this herb to salad and pine nut sauces for an extra bright taste.
Dried dill would compliment the overall dish if added to the pizza crust.
It pairs well with fresh vegetables when added to make salad dressing.
And let’s not forget about dill focaccia; that tastes heavenly.
The special thing about dill is that it has a complex flavor profile. It is grassy, herby, sweet, and citrus-like, with notes of menthol and licorice. It can add a bright taste to your dish in an instant.
Yes, dill has a strong flavor and aroma. Because of this, you should use it sparingly to avoid overpowering the other ingredients in your recipe. It would help if you stored it away from other food items, as its flavor and smell transfer easily.
What does dill weed taste like? The flavor of dill is a mix of sweet, minty, and herby. This herb also has hints of the licorice taste you get from anise and a citrus flavor similar to oranges. Raw dill has an intense flavor and taste, but once cooked, dill loses its flavor.
You can use dill in salads, spreads, and dips. It also pairs well with meat and seafood. It does not take a back seat when combined with gamey meats like lamb and duck. Now that you know the answer to “What does dill taste like?” it’s high time you try adding it to your dishes.
