Korean kalonji

Of course, while I did purchase these Nigella seeds here in Korea, they were most likely produced somewhere between Cairo and Karachi.

I found them while I paced back and forth between all two of the aisles at the Foreign Food Mart in Seoul. I went to the capital city yesterday in search of oatmeal, but not only did I find these long-sought-after black cumin seed, I returned home with three bags filled with chickpeas, red and green lentils, and couscous; renewed stocks of paprika, cumin and coriander seed; and wheat berries, masala spices, Thai curries, coconut milk powder, and basmati rice ("proper rice" I declared in the kitchen, thinking of our dinners at a nice South Indian restaurant in Seoul where the meals are served with Korean short grain; it's just not the same).

Anyhow, I was amused (and I think that Amelopsis will be, also) when, after asking the proprietor if they had kalonji, he repeated my question, looked me up and down, and then expectantly asked "Are you Indian?!"

"No, no," I said, laughing a bit. "A friend of mine is, and she told me the name."

See part two: Kalonji, continued