In rising order of pungency the seeds are white, brown, and then black. Often there is not much distinction drawn between the black and brown seeds and the two are used interchangeably. Black seeds probably originated in the Mediterranean region, whilst brown seeds hail from the Himalayas – both are grown in India. Black seeds are hardly grown in Europe anymore, and, in general, brown have largely replaced them as the crop of preference as they are more suited to mechanized cropping.
