What is the difference between dill and dill weeds Health Benefits

 Dill and Dill weeds is a common element in culinary use. Though both of them sound alike, but we should not confuse dill and dill weeds as the same thing. If you keep wondering “what is the difference between dill and dill weeds?” you are at the right place. To understand the basic difference, you should scroll through the whole article.

What is Dill?

Dill also known as Anethum graveolens is an annual herb that helps to flavor the food. It may grow up to 40 to 60 centimeters. The leaves are 1 to 2 millimeters and broad, just a little boarder than the leaf of fennel. The flowers are white to yellow. The seeds are thick and long, straight to slightly curved with a ridged surface. They are a common herb in Eurasia.

What is dill weed?

When any recipe calls for dill leaves it actually refers to the leaves of a dill plant. It may be fresh or dried leaves. The leaves consist of stems and fern like leaves. Fresh or dried dill leaves are used as a herb in many parts of Europe and Asia. It has a great aroma and they flavor the food in a good way. If you want to use dill weeds it’s better to use them as fresh. It loses its flavor rapidly when dried. However, dill weeds can regain their flavor well for a few months.

What is the main difference of dill and dill weeds?

Dill and dill weeds are not any different herb, they are inter connected. When we say dill we refer to the whole plant that consists of leaves, stems and seeds. But if we had to define dill weed we would just refer to the fern like leaves of the dill plant.

Though they are related to each other but how they taste, how people use them in cooking and how you can preserve them are different from each other.

Dill oil, dill weeds, dill seeds, stems all are part of dill plants and people use them according to their purpose but dill weeds are just the leaves.

How they vary in cooking?

If you have to use these two in your cooking, you need to know how to use them according to your needs. As the taste of dill is kind of unique, so a small amount of it can make a lot of differences. It is better to use it as a garnish. Dill is also great ingredient for salads and can give a homemade ranch dressing a different flavor.

When using in cooking it is better to use the dill weeds at the last minute. If not it will lose its flavor eventually.

How different cuisine use dill and dill weeds?

The approach of using these two is different in different culture.

In central and eastern Europe, it is an essential culinary herbs along with parsley and herbs. Fresh, finely chopped dill weeds are generally used as toppings in soup. Dill with other herbs is also common in summer drinks. They also use it as a topping for boiled potatoes covered with fresh butter.

In Italy and Greece they use just the leaves with other herbs in salad. Russian cuisine use dill liberally.

 Polish cuisine the use of dill is very versatile. Fresh dill leaves with sour cream is the common base for dressings. In a salad called mizeria this base is popular with some freshly cut cucumbers. Zupa koperkowa which is a dill based soup with potatoes and hard boiled eggs is also famous in polish cuisine.

 A polish pickle exists where the whole dill plant is used.

For Czech Republic the dill leaves are common in salad they also serve a dill soup. In Germany, it is popular as a seasoning for fish and other dishes. Fish pie includes dill in UK. Dill is also a famous ingredient in cuisine In Bulgaria, Roman, Greece.

In Asia or Middle East dill is also popular in different recipes. But unlike European they do not use it in salad dressing or as a topping or as a garnish. They use it as in a main dish like rice, vegetables, fermented soya beans etc.

What can be a substitute?

If you do not want to use these two in your cooking or you simple do not have them, you can use other ingredients as their substitutes. If you want to replace your dill weeds, you may use fresh tarragon on its place. To make an equal substitute use as much as dried tarragon as you would use for dried dill leaves. For example, if you need to use one table spoon of dill this, just use one table spoon of dried tarragon.

If you are using dill as a garnish, you can simply use fennel as a replacement. They look very similar in appearances’. You can also replace it with parsley.

How to grow your own dill?

It is extremely easy to grow dill on your own garden. It is an annual plant, but it can reseed easily. If some of the flowers of it just go on the seeds, there will be dill plant on its own the next year spontaneously.

The leaves, seeds, flowers, stems are all edible to human. You should enjoy when you are in the season of the plant and store them for the future. For the best and fresh type, be sure to pick it in the morning.

Conclusion

So, from all of the discussion, we can say that the main difference between dill and dill weeds is that dill weeds are a part of dill plant. The plant consists of the seeds, leaves, flowers and stems. But dill weeds are just the green feathery leaves of dill plant.