Cardamom is a dried fruit of the ginger family, referred as "The Queen of Spices" because of its aroma and taste.
Cardamom has its origin in the Western Ghats of South India (Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu). They are also grown in Sub-Himalayan region of North Eastern India. Around the world, they are cultivated in Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Tanzania, Nepal and Bhutan. Cardamom in south India is parrot green in color. Indian cardamom is known world-wide for its quality. It is exported to various countries. Large quantities of good grade cardamom are usually exported to other countries to meet the export norms.
In South India, the harvesting season starts from July to January, but sometimes it extends to February. The plants will grow to a height of 6-10 feet. The panicles grow very close to the ground and the pods are picked from them.
These plants start flowering only after 2 years of planting. The flowers then develop a fruit and when they ripe, they are ready to be picked. The pods are picked once in approximately 45 days during the harvesting season. After harvesting, they are washed, dried, cleaned and packed. Cardamom is usually stored as pods because the flavor will be lost if they are exposed or powered.
Cardamom is mainly classified into three types based on the color - Green, Brown and Black.
The green and bold cardamom obtained from South India is the best in the world. This is because the aroma is maintained for a long period. They are used in masala preparation, milk based products, tea, cakes, sweets and breads. It is also known as "Elaichi" in India.
They are larger in size when compared to green cardamom, and are also hairy. They look like tiny fibrous coconuts. In India, they are added in rice dishes like Biriyani and pulav. They are also used as an ingredient in garam masala along with green cardamom.
Its flavor is different from the green cardamom. Unlike green cardamom, they are not used in sweet dishes. They are cheap and are used by large-scale commercial bakers.
Internationally, Cardamom is used in tea, coffee, sweets, cakes, cookies, bread, biscuits and desserts.
In Chinese medicine, cardamom is primarily used along with their herb formulas. The herbs used in medicines are hard to digest and cardamom is added to aid their digestion by warming them.
In Scandinavia, Germany and Russia, they are used in bread, cakes and pastries.
In Persia, they are used in pastries, desserts, preserves and other full dishes.
In Arabia, cardamom is popularly used in preparing coffee. Cardamom coffee is served to honor the guest and also to display the generosity. During the holy month, cardamom coffee is included in the preparation for breaking the fast.
In India, cardamom is popularly used in food varieties. They are used in all three forms as pods, seeds and powder. Green cardamom is used to prepare cardamom tea, garam masala powder, milk masala powder, sweets and flavor the dishes like pulav, biryani. Cola, biscuits and liquors are also flavored with cardamom.
It is one of the traditional spices but there is no awareness on its quality. The pods which are rich in colour and larger in size are known to be of good quality. The first grade cardamom is 8mm size. Cardamom is being used in traditional medicine, but this is slightly vanishing because of the lack of knowledge and communication. It is also used in Ayurveda and Unani medicines.
There are no known side-effects. When consumed in large quantity regularly, there is a possibility to get heat related diseases. It should be avoided during pregnancy.
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