KITCHEN PRACTICE 2 — Whole vs. Ground Cumin, Smelled Side by Side
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Chapter: Indian Cookery 1 — Foundations & the Indian Pantry

TASK
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Crack open a few whole cumin seeds and smell them, then smell a jar
of pre-ground cumin that's been open for a while. Note the real
difference in aroma strength between the two.

WHAT TO DO
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1. Take a small pinch of whole cumin seeds and crush them lightly
   between your fingers or with the back of a spoon, just enough to
   crack them open.
2. Smell the crushed seeds immediately.
3. Open a jar of pre-ground cumin (ideally one that's been open for
   at least a few weeks or months, not a brand-new jar) and smell it
   directly.
4. Compare the two aromas.

WHAT TO WRITE DOWN
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A short note: "The freshly cracked cumin smelled ___, and the
pre-ground jar smelled ___ by comparison."

WHY THIS MATTERS
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This is the same "taste and smell it yourself" discipline the other
Cookery courses on this site all lean on for their own pantry
chapters. Freshly cracked whole cumin should smell noticeably more
intense and vivid than an older jar of pre-ground cumin, which has
had far more time and surface area exposed to air. Once you've
smelled the real difference directly, the chapter's own "buy whole
where you can" advice stops being an abstract preference and becomes
something you can genuinely justify for yourself.