Flaxseed

Small, flat, glossy brown or golden seeds from the flax plant. They taste mildly nutty with a faint toasty aroma; whole seeds stay crunchy, while ground meal disperses and gently thickens liquids. Common uses include baking, oatmeal, smoothies, and as a binder; sold as whole seeds or ground/milled.\n\nDomesticated in the Fertile Crescent and cultivated across the Mediterranean and Eurasia, flax later spread to North America for both fiber and seed. Today major producers include Canada, Kazakhstan, and Russia; seeds are cleaned and dried after threshing, with grinding done just before sale or at home.