Spice Trip

In Britain, we know cumin as a spice used in curries and kebabs, but in Turkey it flavours everything from pizzas to delicious pistachio and honey-soaked pastries. In Istanbul, Stevie and Emma explore Europe's biggest spice market before discovering new ways to cook with cumin from the city's King of kofta, who also alludes to the legendary magical powers of the spice. Heading east, across the plains of Anatolia, Stevie and Emma join women workers in the cumin harvest under the beating sun and experience the extraordinary hospitality of the local village. Thirty miles from the Syrian border, they discover the spice locally known as black cumin. Also called Nigella in Britain, the Turks consider it a cure-all spice and burn it at home to bless and keep families safe. Inspired by the journey, Stevie and Emma cook Turkish pizza, steak with grilled vegetables and cumin yogurt, and a delicious pistachio, rose and black cumin cake.