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Only Yoo Can Put The -yoo In Cumin

Oct. 27, 2009 4:04 pm

Updated: Nov. 3, 2009 1:22 pm

What's in a spice name? Typically, I don't give it much thought. I know many spices and use many spices, from cinnamon to oregano, nutmeg to paprika.

But one of my favorite spices also happens to have a strange name. It's just that I didn't realize it had a strange name until I heard it repeated on television.

Cumin, aka koo-min, is the spice in question. Except that I don't pronounce it koo-min. I say it kyoo-min.

Now, consulting the dictionary could solve the problem, but it doesn't in this case. It justifies that both the koo-min and kyoo-min pronunciations are correct, and that does me no good.

But I am here to challenge that, to right the wrongs several notable celebrity chefs have began by butchering the pronunciation of my beloved kyoo-min spice.

A quick lesson in English pronunciations. Of course, English isn't like Spanish or German, phonetic languages whose words are pronounced just like they sound. There is no silent E in Spanish; a ph doesn't make an f sound in German; nowhere in either language do letters like -ough combine for certain sounds.

In English, such exceptions are the norm. But there are norms.

To wit:

When you have a word with two letters, a consonant and vowel, come together before a three-letter syllable composed of a consonant-vowel-consonant or consonant-consonant-vowel, you get certain pronunciations.

For example:

pa*per
ca*ble
la*bel

In all these, the -a at the end of the first syllable is long. In other words it says its name.

fe*ver
me*ter
re*lay

Those are some -e examples, in which the -e says its name. With me so far?

li*bel
wi*den
bi*son

The -i is the same. As is the -o...

do*nor
ro*ver
wo*ven

Thus, the -u should follow the same pattern.

cu*pid
cu*ban
cu*bic
mu*sic

Have you ever been shot by a koo-pid's arrow? What about for dinner, you ever been to a koo-ban restaurant? And have you ever measured to see how many koo-bic feet your garden measures? Do you listen to moo-sic while you cook or bake? So why would you put koo-min on your food and not kyoo-min?

(This is all in jest, of course. You can pronounce that spice's name however you want... just keep in mind that if you come over to my house for dinner and ask me if I used koo-min in the dish, you will suffer my wrath.)

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rae

Oct. 27, 2009 4:29 pm

I am sooo glad I am not the only one that is bothered by that! I am always griping about it when I hear a cook on tv my husband makes fun of me about it :)

Trishie

Oct. 27, 2009 4:38 pm

I have one for ya!! How do you say Aluminium? Do you say AH-LOO-MIN-UM or AH-LOO-MIN-EE-UM!!!

DawnofMarch

Oct. 28, 2009 12:20 am

I have always pronounced Cumin the same as you. Or at least It sounds like I do to myself.

petey

Oct. 28, 2009 9:28 am

what are you gonna do with Almond? I say All-mond, but so many people say aa-mon...and a text book said it was Almond on the tree, but then you knock the "L" out of it. LOL You say to-MA-to, I say to-mah-to, you say po-TA-to, I say pa-tah-to...

Lace

Oct. 28, 2009 9:55 am

Great blog. I've always wondered the same thing. I have to give it to you, you did a great job explaining your way of pronouncing it. I pronounce it the same way as you do, by the way. Thanks!

sueb

Oct. 29, 2009 7:26 pm

Yeah! I understand the dilemma. There's an old song/poem about words, but it gets back to do you say ant or aunt? I have an ancestor with the name of Maria b. 1795, but was it pronounced Ma-RE-a or Ma-RI-a? Life's inconsistencies, huh?

Kip

Oct. 29, 2009 9:27 pm

If you know the correct pronunciation of the Spanish A E I O U then you know how to pronounce it Ah A E O OO It's oo ---- ding bat! as in cumin AND the i is pronounced E So,don't sound like an idiot, pronounce it in Spanish; because ??? End of discussion !!! Emeraldo Hamon

Avon

Oct. 29, 2009 11:38 pm

Well, I'm sorry you have to wake up to read Kips comment. Apparently he doesn't understand AMERICAN tongue in cheek. The really unfortunate thing is, he makes a good point. He could of educated everyone about Spanish pronunciation, and left it at that. My guess is his name calling and projecting a holier than thou attitude, has not helped his cause.

divashar

Oct. 30, 2009 12:20 am

OMG!!! Had never thought about it but see your point. koo pids arrow gave me quite a chuckle. thanks for the English lesson.

Ginger

Oct. 30, 2009 6:16 am

I personally LOVED your blog! And being married into a family who relishes cumin in most everything- being of Mexican / Spanish decent not once have they ever made fun of the way I say nor called me names for it. LOL I'm thinking 'master' Kip needs a nap. Is what I do when my kids get cranky too! LOLOLOL Wonder if I can get a ding bat moniker as well? So Mr Spanish speaking 'Kip" which way do you pronounce thyme? Would that be with 'thankfulness' or with 'timid trepidation?' Would you pronounce celtic like 'crass' or would that need to be 'censored'? ~ Giggles madly as she darts off for more coffee. You have a wonderous day LB and keep up with the blogging! Igot a giggles and chuckle and so did my hubby! (Porfiro Davila- who thinks Kip is also cranky! Lmao)

JARRIE

Oct. 30, 2009 6:37 am

Kip's response would be useful if we were speaking Spanish. We're not. It'd be useful if the word in question was written in the Spanish language. It's not. I'm fairly confident that "cumin" is written "comino" in Spanish (though I could be wrong). (And, because I haven't had any coffee either, let me point out that by Kip's language rules, "cumin" and even the Spanish word "comino" would neither begin with the sound "coo"!) So in closing, I used KYOO-MIN last night in making taco seasoning, neither of which, I'm sure, was very authentically Spanish, but both pleased me greatly! Keep up the good work, LB!

A.Z.

Oct. 30, 2009 8:01 am

I agree with kyoomin. There is almost nothing worse that watching the kicthen shows where they are speaking regular english and then go into full foreign language for one word. I also hate this in books when they have to itlaicize a foreign word to let us know it's pronounced in a foreign way. Jarrie is right, comino means cumin in spanish, so none of Kip's points are valid. Lastly the word cumin doesn't come from spanish at all, it's from greek Kyminon, with other variations in hebrew and arabic respectively, kammon and kammun. That's where we get the hard "c" in our pronunciation.

A.Z.

Oct. 30, 2009 8:02 am

Oops, hit post too fast - I was also going to say the the mistaken idea that it's a spanish word is what leads to all this people pronouncing it in a spanish way - when in reality it's not spanish at all.

Rachel

Oct. 30, 2009 9:02 am

In Israel its pronounce koo-min. When I am speaking Hebrew I pronounce it that way, but when I speak English I say it kyoo-min! :) I get peeved often when people try to attempt English but just insert their own pronunciations. When I am speaking a language, I go above and beyond to say the words in THAT language. I'm totally on board with you. :)

helenapu

Oct. 30, 2009 9:20 am

well this was all very interesting! I enjoyed the reasoning behind kyoomin but I have to say I pronounce it cummin (as in she'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes). I have no idea why I pronounce it like this. Does anyone else say it this way? Any explanations? I'm sure we could think up some examples of similar pronunciations, though I must say I had trouble thinking of ones with "u". For the other vowels, how about these:erratic, manic, tapioca; metal, fetid and fetish; titular; chronic, sonic and electronic.

Kandyce78

Oct. 30, 2009 10:06 am

I pronounce it both ways, but I also do go to koo-ban restaraunts, because I hang with cubanos and that's how they pronounce it. :)

SouthwesternFlavor

Oct. 30, 2009 10:12 am

LOL! LOL! LOL! And I thought I was the only one who spends time thinking about such things..... Thanks for the great post!

Monica

Oct. 30, 2009 10:25 am

I appreciate your keen insight into this controversial cooking conundrum.

Kat Santora

Oct. 30, 2009 10:46 am

ROFLMBO.... We all must have way too much time on our hands. Not only do we have strange thoughts about how something is pronounced, we then spend the time to read and comment about it to others that also have that kind of time. LOL LOL Although I really appreciate where this sting of conversation started, kip is an idiot and it does not truly matter how the word cumin is pronounced as long as the helper getting the spices grabs the right one. In my house, those who criticize don't eat the kings feast. As I am a good cook, family and friends don't care how I pronounce the word as long as I keep cooking. Loved the blog. Thank you for the insight!

GourmetGirly

Oct. 30, 2009 11:59 am

I love it! Another English snob like me! I feel the same way about so many other word too. You should write a book!

Kelley

Oct. 30, 2009 12:49 pm

What about tumor, rumor, stupid, and luminate to name a few?

Hezzy_tant_Cook

Oct. 30, 2009 4:29 pm

Ah, English...you gotta love the mish mash of a stew it serves up. By the name of your post, however, I was thinking the direction of community...but that's what yoo may have intended? I've been away too long. But isn't "Only 'u' can put the 'u' in 'commUnity'" a saying? Great cumin-ity post.

swimminash

Oct. 30, 2009 5:26 pm

Wow, I have been reading the word cumin so many times I have screwing up the pronunciation of my other words! :) I was reading hezzy_tant_cooks post about community, and I read it as com-oon-ity! LOL! Funny how if you read a word so many times, it just sounds funny and makes other words apear to sound different as well! :) Thanks for the post- I found it humorous :)

swimminash

Oct. 30, 2009 5:27 pm

or should I say, Hoo-morous!!!!!

Desertgecko

Oct. 30, 2009 8:35 pm

I love cumin! It is the magic in all foods. I will spell it like I pronounce it. QueMen or QMEN. Is that correct? Is that how kyoo-min sounds or is pronounced? I too, would hear koo-min often, and that is so gay, when it's QMEN! LOL :o)

Desertgecko

Oct. 30, 2009 8:44 pm

AH-LOO-MIN-EE-UM sounds kinda kewl!

Beth

Oct. 31, 2009 5:38 am

I agree with A.Z. We're in America. Speak English. Also, I don't quite understand Kip's insistence on Spanish pronounciation. I did some research on several different websites and books and found the spice is originally from Egypt and then spread to middle eastern, asian, and mediterranean areas. The word comes from Greek-Latin, Old French, and middle English. In searching recipes I found that most original recipes cited Egypt, India, North Africa, and China, with recent uses in Portugal and the Mediterranean area, and finally I found one reference to Mexican cooking now including cumin. What surprised me most, however, was the greater number of my sites included the helenapu pronounciation as the first preference... "comin' round the mountain"-- this after I had decided on the justification for "kyoo-men" was wonderful! I love the lighthearted comments... I hope to see more like those. Thanks, LB, for starting a great discussion.

sailshonan

Oct. 31, 2009 6:43 am

ONE: I guess all you KYOOMINs will have to now pronounce "1" like "own" because that's the rule. And TWO as "TWHOA" because that's the rule. But don't seat it. Because "sweat" is sweet as in heat or wheat, according to your rules. English is an amalgamation of many different languages and we borrow their pronounciations without bothering to adapt the spellings. So deal with it; third graders in spelling bees do.

TWINMOMLOVESFOOD

Oct. 31, 2009 8:26 am

Apparently our friend Kip doesn't understand that cumin is the English spelling. If you want to truly pronounce it in Spanish, it wouldn't be cumin at all, but would instead be COMINO, the actual Spanish word for cumin. Dingbat.

EvaB

Oct. 31, 2009 10:12 am

I always say it with the you sound, and that is about as close as it gets in my house since no one here actually likes the taste of it, or cilantro either! I live with a perfectionist when it comes to the pronunciation of words, and hate it when people mispronounce and mangle words because no one learns simple ENGLISH rules anymore, it being too much to tell kids how to talk or write these days.

THEORYGURU04

Oct. 31, 2009 10:14 am

Thanks for the diction lesson. Check your grammar, though: "celebrity chefs have began" should read, "celebrity chefs have begUn."

Lambchop

Oct. 31, 2009 11:07 am

I strongly favor the koo-min pronunciation. However, ugh, I have bad news for all of us. I checked my favorite online authority, m-w.com (Merriam Webster), which lists THREE pronunciations, in this unfortunate order: kum-min, kyoo-min, koo-min. Order of listing indicates either degree of usage or degree of acceptability, I'm not certain which. I have never heard cumin pronounced kum-min by anyone anywhere ever. Anyone else? It will always be koo-min to me, although I know I am in the minority. Kip, your point would have been better taken had you been more gracious, mi amigo.

Thorg63

Oct. 31, 2009 11:29 am

I agree, and call it kyoo-min as well. However, having just finished two semesters of College Spanish, I must say that Cubans are pronounced Koo-bahns in the Spanish language, with an accent on the first syllable. As an English-speaking kinda gal, I still call them Kyoo-bans, but like to stay current with my (not so great) foreign language skills. Just thought I would share!

mercyp

Oct. 31, 2009 12:09 pm

Uh-oh, TheoryGuru...wouldn't that be "be-gyun?" LOL! As an English teacher I am appalled at the pronunciation and misspelling of far more important words than cumin. How about the fact that we can't get a politician to correctly pronounce "nuclear" when they are discussing the possibility of dropping a "nucular" bomb on a Middle Eastern country? Makes my chili spices seem a little unimportant!

Plum Mojo

Oct. 31, 2009 2:32 pm

Well, I have never been to Koo-ba but I have eaten a Koo-bano sandwich!

JeanneBean

Oct. 31, 2009 4:37 pm

It is funny that I notice a blog on this site for the first time, and it's about one of my quirks (only as to my pronunciation, not others:)) As a linguist, I must agree 100%! Kyoo-min! Also, Kip is a nasty grump. Who really cares anyway? There are so many more important issues to worry (or for Kip's sake, argue about!) Lighten up, Kip; there are a million different blogs on the net for you to vent your hostility. This is a site for people to find good food and drinks for life's celebrations with family and friends! Show everyone how "smart" you are elsewhere!

JeanneBean

Oct. 31, 2009 4:41 pm

And oh, LB, I really appreciate the time and thought you put into your justification for your pronunciation! Your thoughtfulness and wit added some humor to my already fun Halloween day!

lizzie93

Oct. 31, 2009 4:47 pm

Or you could just avoid the problem all together and use the Indian name - jeera. (Now if only we could get people to stop calling coriander cilantro).

Desertgecko

Oct. 31, 2009 8:55 pm

Happy Halloween Everyone!:o) For more CUMIN info, check out the below link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumin

myrtleedwards

Nov. 1, 2009 8:19 am

FANTASTIC! I'm sort of a word/spelling Nazi myself! Your explanation was spot on! Have you ever heard of the "Spalding method", or "The Writing Road to Reading"? You certainly seem like you teach straight from their book! AND you made me laugh as well! Thanks!

Jason

Nov. 1, 2009 9:31 am

Koomin or Kyoomin: I personally use Kyoomin, but that's besides my rant. People (and I've met a number now) that pronounce it Kummin? I think they need to stop watching the marital aid videos and perhaps watch a few more cooking programs so they at least call it something other than that. So there it is, my two cents thrown out there

Desertgecko

Nov. 1, 2009 1:04 pm

LOL Jason...I've personally been guilty of calling it that myself; however, it just didn't sound right or appropriate, so I would say that version of cumin silently, to myself and then it was just natural (since I am english speaking) to pronounce it Kyoo-min. Oftentimes, I just refer to as "the spice"....did you put the spice in, as it's a great spice for any dish.

Ariel Kaitlien

Nov. 1, 2009 5:53 pm

I totally agree with kyoo-min, and getting annoyed when people mispronounce it. However, I'm one of those crazies that pronounce foreign words correctly, even when I'm speaking English. KOO-bans, kah-rah-teh, et cetera. Guess I don't really see how that could be annoying to "go into full foreign language for one word" when it's legitimately a foreign word and you're just pronouncing it as it was intended. Cumin, of course, is not one of those foreign words.

Trish T

Nov. 1, 2009 10:23 pm

I automatically pronounce it comino, because that's how my parents pronounced it as I was growing up! And they aren't Hispanic. The word cumin just sounds strange to my ears! But, since this is such a divergent country, everyone has their own way of pronouncing it and no one is wrong, so get a grip, Kip!

Harry Page

Nov. 2, 2009 11:34 am

How would you pronounce lapel based on your designation for label I was just curious.

Pamela

Nov. 2, 2009 12:46 pm

Oh, this is hilarious. I've never seen such a light hearted discussion on the pronunciation of words. Usually, it's a very harsh mean spirited discussion of improper spelling or grammar. This is too fun!

CristalJoy

Nov. 2, 2009 2:30 pm

as long as you don't pronounce it cum-in

MomZilla (Evin)

Nov. 2, 2009 2:38 pm

How about coupon? Is it CYOO-PON or COO-PON? I never know. I'm from Texas, so on the cumin thing I just claim Tex-mex and call it Comino! :)

5THSISTER

Nov. 3, 2009 1:22 pm

Evin...that's so funny! I say kyoo-pon and hubby says koo-pon. His reasoning is as follows: You've never heard of insurgents staging a kyoo (coup) have you? LOL! I still say kyoopon because I've said it that way forever and different regions of the country have different colloquialisms. BTW, for whatever it's worth, Cumin is pronounced kyoomin in our home. As far as the cilantro/coriander debate, isn't cilantro the leafy part and coriander the seed? Not intentionally opening another can of worms though so feel free to ignore that last question! Good blog post Luis!

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