The finest quality Whole Cardamom Pods.
The name “Cardamom” is used for herbs within two genera of the ginger family Zingiberaceae namely Elettaria and Amomum. Both varieties take the form of a small seedpod triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds. Elettaria pods are light green in color while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown.
Both forms of Cardamom are used as flavorings in both food and drink as cooking spices and as a medicine. Elettaria Cardamomum (the usual type of Cardamom) is used as a spice a masticatory and in medicine. It is also smoked sometimes.
Cardamom has a strong unique taste with an intensely aromatic fragrance.
Black Cardamom has a distinctly more astringent aroma though not bitter with a coolness similar to mint though with a different aroma. It is a common ingredient in Indian cooking and is often used in baking in Nordic countries such as in the Finnish sweet bread pulla or in the Scandinavian bread Julekake.
Green Cardamom is one of the most expensive spices by weight but little is needed to impart the flavor.
Cardamom is best stored in pod form because once the seeds are exposed or ground they quickly lose their flavor. However high-quality ground Cardamom is often more readily (and cheaply) available and is an acceptable substitute. For recipes requiring whole Cardamom pods a generally accepted equivalent is 10 pods equals 1½ teaspoons of ground Cardamom.
In the Middle East green Cardamom powder is used as a spice for sweet dishes as well as traditional flavouring in coffee and tea. Cardamom pods are ground together with coffee beans to produce a powdered mixture of the two which is boiled with water to make coffee. Cardamom is also used in some extent in savoury dishes. In Arabic Cardamom is called “al-Hayl”. In Persian it is called ‘Hel’. In some Middle Eastern countries coffee and Cardamom are often ground in a wooden mortar and cooked together in a mihbaz an oven using wood or gas to produce mixtures that are as much as forty percent Cardamom.
In South Asia green Cardamom is often used in traditional Indian sweets and in Masala chai (spiced tea). Black Cardamom is sometimes used in garam masala for curries. It is occasionally used as a garnish in basmati rice and other dishes. It is often referred to as fat Cardamom due its size (‘Moti Elaichi’). Individual seeds are sometimes chewed in much the same way as chewing-gum. It has also been known to be used for gin making.
Green Cardamom in South Asia is broadly used to treat infections in teeth and gums to prevent and treat throat troubles congestion of the lungs and pulmonary tuberculosis inflammation of eyelids and also digestive disorders. It also is used to break up kidney stones and gall stones and was reportedly used as an antidote for both snake and scorpion venom.
Among other species varieties and cultivars Amomum villosum cultivated in China Laos and Vietnam is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat stomach-aches constipation dysentery and other digestion problems.
Do not use on children