Dill
 
Dill is a strongly smelling spice which is mainly popular as the Old Norse dilla used to relieve babies from stomach pain due to its anti flatulent power. It is an annual winter crop which requires well-drained sandy soil and complete sunlight for proper growth.

It belongs to the parsley family and grown in the sub tropical and temperate regions of India especially the northern parts.

It is popular all over Europe, Western, Central and Southern Asia due to its sweet taste. It is mainly used for cooking bread, vegetable, vinegar, pickles and fish. It is the national spice in the Scandinavian countries and the fish dishes are usually either directly flavored with dill or served together with sauces containing dill.

In India, however, dill is used to flavor for lentils and bean dishes. It is used extensively in foods, beverages and medicines and its essential oil constitutes an important flavoring for the pickles industry. India exports dill to USA, the UK, Canada and Japan.