Indian dill seed is used whole and ground in cooking, pickles and spice blends, and it is distilled to produce dill seed oil for flavouring. In India it is known as sowa or suva.
Buyers abroad include spice packers, seasoning makers, essential oil distillers and importers serving South Asian communities. It is a smaller trade than cumin or fennel, so supply is thinner and fewer processors specialise in it.
Indian dill is a distinct type
Indian dill is usually described as a separate type from European dill, often called Anethum sowa or a variety of Anethum graveolens. The seed is typically longer and narrower, and its oil has a different composition. Indian dill oil is known for containing dillapiole, which European dill oil usually lacks or has in small amounts.
This matters if your recipe was built on European dill. Indian dill may taste different. Run a trial before switching origin.
If you buy dill for oil, ask your flavour house which oil profile they need. Some applications prefer a particular balance of carvone and other components, and that may rule some origins in or out.
Where it is grown
Dill is a winter seed crop. In India it is grown in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and some other states. Seed spice markets in Gujarat, including Unjha, trade it. Volumes vary a lot from year to year with sowing and weather, so confirm availability early.
Main uses
- Whole seed in Indian cooking, tempering and pickles.
- Ground seed in seasonings, spice blends and bakery.
- Distillation into dill seed oil for flavourings.
- Herbal and traditional products, where your local food or medicine rules decide what is allowed.
Who buys it
- Spice packers selling to South Asian grocery shops in the UK, US, Gulf and elsewhere.
- Seasoning and blend makers who need a dill note.
- Essential oil distillers and flavour houses.
- Pickle and sauce makers.
What to check before buying
Treat dill like other seed spices. Specify purity, admixture, moisture and volatile oil, and test for pesticide residues against your market's limits. For the EU, require no ethylene oxide treatment and test for it. If you distil, add an oil composition requirement agreed with your flavour team.
Because the trade is small, a few lots may make up most of the season's export quality. Ask for the crop year and lot of every sample. The guides on admixture and how much is acceptable and getting agri samples from India help with the basics.
Where we come in
We locate processors who clean dill seed in their own plants, compare samples from the current crop and test them at NABL-accredited labs. If dill is part of a mixed seed spice order, start with a free sourcing review.