Caraway oil is extracted from Carum carvi (also known as Apium carvi) of the Umbelliferae family and is also known as carum. Caraway oil has a sweet spicy odor with a slight peppery smell. Origin of caraway oil It is a bi-annual herb that originated from Asia Minor, but is now cultivated in Northern Europe, Africa and Russia. It grows up to 60cm (2 feet) and has soft fern-like leaves, umbels of white/pink flowers and small brown fruit.