Dill (herb, dried, raw?, organic?)

Dried dill ( Anethum graveolens) is a valued culinary herb with a pleasant aromatic scent. Depending on the processing method, dill is still considered raw after drying, but is always available in organic quality.

Use in the kitchen

Dried dill is a practical and versatile ingredient that can be used in the kitchen when fresh dill is not available. Both dried and fresh dill are known for their delicate, spicy taste, which goes particularly well with vegan dishes made from potatoes and vegetables, as well as with raw salads and sauces. Herbs such as chervil, dill and chives are so sensitive that they should not be heated. They are sprinkled over/into cold or warm dishes just before serving.

Dill has a gentle aniseed aroma, which gives it a slight sweetness and a hint of licorice. This aroma is particularly concentrated in the seeds. The flavor spectrum of dill also contains a subtle citrus note, which gives it freshness. In many countries, dill is a popular flavoring for pickling gherkins, which is why it is also called pickle herb. It goes well with onions, garlic and parsley.

What can you eat with dill? In addition to the leaves, the seeds of the dill plant are also edible. In young specimens, you can also eat the stems (raw); the older the plant, the harder and more fibrous the herb stems are. When using the dried herb, it is important to remember that it is more concentrated than fresh dill. Therefore, the amount should be adjusted accordingly.

Dried dill rehydrates during the cooking process, so it's important to have plenty of liquid in the dish. Alternatively, you can soak the dried herb in liquid such as water, oil or vinegar for a while before using it to release its full flavor. With either method, it's best to add the dried dill herb to the pot at the end of cooking to preserve all the flavor nuances. ¹

Dill is traditionally used to season fish dishes, but also soups or stews with lentils and white beans. Dill goes particularly well with all kinds of bean stews, as its fresh, aniseed-like flavor gives the dish an uplifting note. Dill rounds off other flavorful ingredients such as onions, carrots, celery and garlic to create a balanced and delicious flavor profile.

Cucumbers go well with both dried and chopped fresh dill in salads. The taste of dried dill also adds a kick of freshness to other salads, whether tomato, carrot, potato or greenleaf salads.

Dried dill herb is an excellent addition to dips and dressings based on vegan sour cream or vegan yogurt, e.g. soy yogurt. Dill dips are the ideal accompaniment to raw organic vegetable sticks made from carrots, celery, peppers, kohlrabi and cucumbers. The dip adds a tasty note to the raw vegetables.

Vegan recipe for potato salad with dried dill

Ingredients (for 4 people): 600 g boiled potatoes, 1 red onion, ½ cucumber, 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 2 tbsp dried dill (organic), 80 g vegan sour cream, 30 g mustard, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, salt and white pepper to taste.

Preparation: Cut the boiled potatoes into slices and the raw onion and cucumber into cubes. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, red onion, cucumber, parsley and dill. In a separate bowl, mix the vegan sour cream, mustard and apple cider vinegar well until you have a smooth sauce. Pour the sauce over the potato mixture and stir gently. Season with salt and pepper. Let the potato salad sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Vegan recipes with dried dill can be found under the note: " Recipes that have the most of this ingredient ".

Purchasing - Storage

Dried dill can be found in large supermarket chains such as Coop, Migros, Denner, Volg, Spar, Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka, Hofer, Billa, usually in the spice section, often in organic quality. Health food stores and organic supermarkets, e.g. Denn's Biomarkt and Alnatura, also stock dried dill.

Dried dill is available all year round in Europe because, unlike fresh herbs, it can be stored for a long time. Freeze-drying is not a major factor, particularly in the organic sector, because of the high price and energy consumption. Since dill contains a lot of water, drying temperatures are often used that are well over 42 °C, depending on the supplier. Dill treated in this way is no longer of raw food quality (for more information, read the chapter "Industrial production").

The availability of dried dill varies depending on the size of the store, catchment area, etc. You can find our recorded food prices for the DA-CH countries above under the ingredient image - and by clicking you can see their development at various suppliers.

Storage tips

The best way to store dried herbs like dill is in brown glass jars. Stored this way, they are protected from light, oxygen and moisture and will last for about a year. ¹

Ingredients - Nutritional values - Calories

Here we realistically show you the ingredients of spices and herbs per 1 g (instead of per 100 g as usual).

1 g of dried dill contains hardly any fats, proteins or fiber and very few carbohydrates (0.56 g). The energy content is 2.5 kcal/1g. ²

Iron, calcium and manganese are the most important essential nutrients that dried dill offers. ² However, because the amount consumed is so small, they and the macronutrients practically do not contribute to meeting the daily requirement. However, the secondary plant substances in this ingredient are important for its health value, even if they only have trace amounts. Although all herbs and spices have many health-promoting ingredients, we are deliberately avoiding the empty buzzword "superfood" here.

The complete ingredients of dried dill, the coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in our nutrient tables. In the article Nutrients explained you will get a detailed insight into the topic.

Health effects

Is dried dill healthy? Since we only consume small amounts of dried herbs such as dill, the health effects are due to the secondary plant substances they contain.

Secondary plant substances

Our article on secondary plant substances provides an overview of the classification of substance groups, their occurrence in foods and possible effects on humans.

Dill contains the following secondary plant substances:

• Isoprenoids: Terpenes: Triterpenes (limonene, pinene, carvone), monoterpenes (phellandrene); terpenoids (linalool); saponins; steroids; carotenoids ^5,6,33,34
• Alkaloids ^5,6
• Polyphenols: Phenolic acids: hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, o-coumaric acid, trans-cinnamic acid), hydroxybenzoic acids (vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, syringic acid); flavonoids: flavonols (rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin), anthocyanins; tannins; coumarins (bergapten, umbelliferone) ^5,6,33

However, it should be noted that the composition of secondary plant substances in dill can vary depending on the variety, time of harvest and growing conditions. Therefore, quantities are only of limited use and should only be understood roughly.

Three animal studies show that bioactive substances in dill have lipid-lowering properties that may protect against arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In these studies, rats and hamsters were fed a high-fat diet with the addition of essential oils, extracts or powder from dill. The results show that the secondary plant substances contained in dill and dill oil, such as terpenes (limonene, carvone) and polyphenols (flavonoids, flavonols), reduce total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in the blood, while increasing HDL cholesterol. These effects can prevent the development of arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. However, the transferability to humans requires further research. ^3,4,5

The lipid-lowering properties of dill also play a role in the symptoms of type 2 diabetes: In an eight-week, double-blind, controlled study, 42 patients with type 2 diabetes received either dill powder or a placebo. The addition of dill powder led to a significant reduction in "blood insulin," insulin resistance symptoms, and LDL and total cholesterol, while HDL cholesterol and antioxidant capacity increased. These effects were attributed to the bioactive substances in dill, because they could not be detected in the control group. Dietary supplementation with dill powder could therefore be effective in controlling glycemic, lipid, and oxidative stress symptoms in type 2 diabetes. ⁷

Studies also confirm the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the isoprenoids and polyphenols in dill. In animal studies, dill and dill herb extracts have shown effects against chronic inflammation, ⁸ inflammation of the gastric mucosa ⁹ and the esophagus ¹⁰ as well as cell-protective properties in liver diseases. ^11,12 The secondary plant substances in dill can also offer protection against parasites (e.g. Giardia), ¹³ against various bacteria and against fungal diseases. ^6,14,15

Dill affects the female reproductive system. Research studies have shown that dill regulates and prolongs the menstrual cycle and relieves menstrual pain. ^6,16 At the same time, studies on rats and mice indicate that the cycle-prolonging effect of dill can also lead to a reduction in fertility - and dill may act as a contraceptive. ^17,18,19 In a clinical study, dill seed extract administered during labor increased labor and shortened the duration of labor. After birth, dill seed extract also reduced uterine contractions, which can prevent bleeding. ⁶

Dangers - Intolerances - Side effects

People with an allergy to mugwort can also develop a cross allergy to dill; the allergy symptoms are comparable. ²⁰

Risk of confusion

Dill belongs to the Umbelliferae family. This includes some members that are toxic (poisonous) to humans but that are very similar to dill plants. Dill is not normally found in the wild in Central Europe, but is almost exclusively cultivated in gardens. So if you discover a plant in nature that looks similar to dill, it is most likely not dill but one of its relatives and caution is advised.

In Germany, Switzerland and Austria, poisonous relatives such as spotted hemlock ( Conium maculatum), water hemlock ( Cicuta virosa) and fool's parsley ( Aethusa cynapium) can be found in nature. There are a few distinguishing features from dill: the leaves of dill are finer and smaller and the overall height is lower. The spotted hemlock is clearly different from dill with its reddish-brown spotted stems, which are exclusively green. Both water hemlock and fool's parsley have leaves that are less deeply slit than dill. ²¹

We have summarized more information about fresh dill.

Folk medicine - natural medicine

Is dill a medicinal herb? According to historical traditions, dill is a well-known medicinal plant. The dill herb, which is native to the Mediterranean region, southeastern Europe and western, central and southern Asia, is said to have many different medicinal effects, as are the seeds. In both Asia and Europe, dill is considered to aid digestion and to be effective against bloating, diarrhea and flatulence. In India, dill is also used to treat eye diseases, bladder problems and stomach pain, while in Iran it is considered to be anti-inflammatory, diuretic, milk-promoting and antispasmodic. ^4,8 Descriptions of similar effects can also be found in herbal books from the Middle Ages in Europe, where dill was also used as a pain reliever and for wound healing. ²³

Because the effectiveness of dill is not sufficiently proven, it is currently not considered a recognized medicinal plant; dill fruits, on the other hand, received a positive assessment by Commission E. ^22,33

Ecological footprint - animal welfare

Fresh dill has a CO ₂ footprint of 0.4 kg CO ₂ eq/kg, which is comparable to other fresh herbs such as chives (0.37 kg CO ₂ eq/kg) or parsley (0.4 kg CO ₂ eq/kg). We do not have any data on the CO ₂ footprint of dried dill. ²⁴ Depending on the drying method (air drying or using drying machines), it is likely that this will be higher than for fresh dill. We also do not know an exact value for the water footprint of the dried herb.

In 2021, the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety ( BVL) in Germany examined 3476 samples of foods of plant origin for substances that are undesirable for health, such as residues of plant protection products, pesticides and veterinary medicines as well as heavy metals, mycotoxins and other contaminants . The amount of residues detected was particularly high for dried dill (compared to the other foods examined). The products with the highest levels of quantifiable residues were dried dill (98.9%) and rocket (97.7%), while only 13.1% of the rosemary samples contained residues. In addition, most of the maximum levels exceeded for dill (21.8%). ²⁵ Since chemical-synthetic pesticides are prohibited in organic farming, it is best to use dried dill in organic quality.

Biologically hazardous waste (chemical waste) is an important parameter for the ecological footprint, not only the water footprint counts. Plant protection products should be called plant killers. They show various characteristics: flammability, corrosiveness, reactivity and toxicity - also for our organism. That is why organic farming is so important. Packaging must also be taken into account, not just water consumption and land use. You can read detailed explanations of various sustainability indicators (such as ecological footprint, CO ₂ footprint, water footprint) in our article: What does the ecological footprint mean?.

Animal protection - species protection

Dill is very attractive to a variety of insects. The plant is particularly suitable as a component of plant mixtures for flower strips next to fields. Flower strips play a crucial role in biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. They serve many animal species as a source of food, as a place of refuge, overwintering place or as a breeding ground for offspring. Wild bees, which play an important role as pollinators, as well as butterflies, other insects, birds and wild animals depend on flower strips. Dill can thus contribute to species protection in conjunction with other plants. ²⁶

Worldwide occurrence - cultivation

The origin of dill is thought to be in southwest Asia or southeast Europe, from where it probably spread to South Asia, Central Asia and across the Mediterranean region to Europe. ^27,28 There are traditions of the cultivation and use of dill from antiquity and ancient Egypt. With the expansion of the Roman Empire, monks in Europe also discovered the plant and cultivated it in monastery gardens in the Middle Ages. ^22,23,28 Today, dill is grown almost worldwide, with the largest dill producer being India. ^27,29

Found in the wild

As mentioned, dill does not grow wild in Germany, Austria and Switzerland - it is very rare for it to break out of gardens and become wild. Most of the time, it is a plant that looks like dill, i.e. a related umbelliferous plant (see the chapter "Risk of confusion"). ²¹ In Mediterranean countries, dill is sometimes found growing wild as a field weed or near rivers and streams. ^22,23

Cultivation - Harvest

Dill can be grown in the garden bed as well as on the balcony. ³⁰ You can find out more about it under the ingredient Dill, fresh (herb, seeds), raw (organic?).

Industrial production

There are various ways to dry dill. Dried dill is not necessarily raw in the sense of being raw. The traditional method involves placing the dill on cloths outside and letting it dry in the sun and wind. Due to potential contamination and dependence on the weather, other drying techniques have been developed. Examples include hot air drying, drying with dehumidifiers and the use of infrared or high frequency radiation, with temperatures of 50-60 °C (or higher) usually specified. Gentle drying promotes the retention of a higher proportion of secondary plant substances in the dried dill. ^31,32

Further information

Dill ( Anethum graveolens) is part of the family of Umbelliferae and is considered in some sources to be the only representative of the genus Anethum (dill family), but this is disputed. Within this species there are several varieties, ^23,28 some of which are also classified as subspecies (however, we could not definitively determine to what extent this distinction is scientifically relevant):

• Field dill ( Anethum graveolens var . graveolens): This is the original wild form.
• Garden dill ( Anethum graveolens var. hortorum): A cultivated form of wild dill with much more aromatic leaves.
• Indian dill ( Anethum graveolens var. sowa): A cultivated form widespread in India, the entire Indian subcontinent, the Malay archipelago and Japan, with a modified essential oil content.
• Anatolian dill ( Anethum graveolens var. anatolicum): This variety is mostly used in conventional herb cultivation.

Alternative names

Dill herb is also called dill, dill, dillich, garden dill, common dill, real dill, cucumber herb, cucumber caraway, flatulence herb, dill fennel and mountain caraway.

In English, dill is called dill weed, dill herb or dill; dried dill is known as dried dill.

The drug name for dill is Anethi herba (syn. Herba Anethi) and for the seeds: Anethi fructus (syn. Fructus Anethi). ²²

Other uses

Dill essential oil and dill extracts are also used to preserve foods such as meat, fish, dairy products and vegetables, and also as a flavor enhancer. ²⁹