Spices are the dried parts of a plant – such as seeds, bark, fruits, roots, or flower buds – used in culinary arts. They add taste, aroma, and colour to make food more exciting, pungent, and luscious. Examples of spices include cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cumin seeds, cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, nutmeg, and chilli powder. Spices have been used for thousands of years across cultures to enhance the taste and aroma of the food, and some of them have medicinal benefits as well. Spices can be mild, pungent, spicy, and sweet, and they give the necessary depth and twist to your meals. Mostly, they are blended as an idea of spice mixes such as garam masala or curry powder.
Cardamom: The Queen of Spices
Cardamom is a popular spice in Nepali, Indian, Swedish, and Middle Eastern kitchens. It is known as the “queen of spices.” It is a spice that has either whole or seeds or ground cardamom pods of Elettaria cardamomum or Amomum cardamom, both of which are members of the Zingiberaceae family, better known as the ginger family. The form of cardamom pods is an unusual spindle. When split open, they feature a triangle cross-section. And, inside them, you can find several tiny cardamom seeds. Interestingly, you can use both the seeds and the entire pod as spices to give your food a distinctive flavour and aroma.
Cardamom has a strong and pungent smell with a slight hint of a lemony aroma. And, it has a flavour that is sweet, spicy, and a little citrus-like. Therefore, you can use this in sweet or savoury dishes – the choice is yours. It blends well with citrus, so you can make several dishes using the “queen of spices.”
History and Cultivation of Cardamom
Cardamom is regarded as one of the oldest spices in the world. This spice dates back at least four to five thousand years in some parts of Europe, where people would use it for culinary purposes. There is an old tale that mentions that the spice was initially discovered by the Vikings and then they took it back to the land of Scandinavia. Originally, cardamom was produced from plants in the Western Ghats of South India. Later, this spot became famous as Cardamom Hills because the cardamom-producing plants were found in large numbers. It also has extensive importance in ancient Egyptian rites, rituals, medicine, and oddly for embalming. Because of its strong scent, the natives of Greece and Rome included cardamom as one of the key ingredients in their fragrances and aromatic oils.
As of now, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala cultivate cardamom in their moist forests. But the cardamom from Nepal is the best one out there, that is why Nepal is the number one seller of cardamom all over the world. There are 14 different cardamoms available in Nepal with their distinct aroma, flavour, and benefits. Cardamom farming requires temperatures ranging from 15-20 degrees and grows at an exceptional height of between 8,000 metres to 21,000 metres. The region must have an annual rainfall of 1500 to 2500 mm, and they grow in acidic forest loam soils with a pH range of 5.5-6.5. Cardamom specifically requires moisture to grow, so its cultivation is challenging.
Types of Cardamom
In the market, only black and green cardamom is popular, and green cardamom predominantly owns the market. But little did you know that there are other types of cardamom available that have their unique features, aroma, and flavour. The following are the types of cardamom that can uplevel your cooking skills:
Green Cardamom: The most known cardamom spice of all, green cardamom is the spice that has been used in many flavourful dishes such as biryani, curry, sweetmeats, and most often in tea. To preserve their green colour, farmers pick the seeds in a very immature state and sundry them. Also, they can maintain their aroma for a longer time. Not only cooking but green cardamom is widely used in the medicinal world to reduce digestive issues and to maintain clean oral health. The green cardamom seeds are whole, round, and green and have a hint of a sweet smell.
Black Cardamom: Black cardamom spice has the most pungent and strongest taste among all the other forms of cardamom. It has a bitter, slightly nutty, and resinous taste with a nutty and citrus-like aroma. Furthermore, it is frequently used to deepen and complexify the flavours of savoury meals like curries, stews, and soups. It can alsobe used to flavour tea and other beverages, as well as in spice blends like garam masala. Along with its culinary uses, it also has significant use in traditional medicine since it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
White Cardamom: The White Cardamom is a little bland in taste due to its extensive bleaching. To acquire the white colour, the farmers bleach the cardamom. You can use it while you are baking, or making sauces and desserts. If you are not a fan of strong and pungent spices, you can use them fully in your dishes since it lacks pungent fragrance and taste. However, due to bleaching, the benefits that it contains are slightly less powerful than its other two sibling cardamoms.
Cardamom Pods vs. Ground Cardamom
The main difference between the pods and ground powder is that the pods come in their natural texture, shape, and size, while the ground one comes in a powdered form. Whole pods contain crunchy seeds that you can crush and remove the seeds from the inside. Using the ground pods will also make the batters and baking better. And you can use the cardamom pods with vegetables while sauteing them in the oil. Moreover, the cardamom powder has less life span(ideally around one month) and the pods have a longer lifespan. It’s preferable to use the fresh pods because the flavour of cardamom powder soon diminishes. Therefore, the ideal situation would be to buy the pods and grind them in smaller quantities for your use.
Benefits of Cardamom
Along with its magic in the culinary world, it also has multiple health benefits that will surprise you. From treating gut issues to relaxing your mood, it is a well-known spice in the therapeutic field. Some of its benefits are:
Improves Digestive Health: Cardamom is famous for helping with digestion and preventing problems with the digestive system such as bloating, gas, and constipation. Moreover, it can lessen the signs of irritable bowel syndrome and stomach ulcers.
Anti-inflammatory properties: Cardamom includes substances with anti-inflammatory qualities, which may help lessen bodily inflammation and ease the pain brought on by ailments like arthritis. It also might help to reduce puffiness in the body, which if not treated in time might cause several issues.
Improves Oral Health: Cardamom has a natural freshening effect that might help avoid foul breath. Moreover, it possesses antibacterial qualities that could help guard against mouth infections. Many toothpaste companies use cardamom as their secret ingredient to give you that freshness. In some south Asian families and restaurants, they serve cardamom along with sugar and cloves to cleanse your palate and give you a refreshing feel after the meal.
Rich in Antioxidant: It is a great source of antioxidants that can protect against oxidative cell damage and lowers your risk of developing chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease.
Improves Respiratory Health: Cardamom is a natural expectorant that can help with coughs, asthma, and bronchitis. It can also help soothe the throat and prevent respiratory infections.
In conclusion, cardamom is a versatile spice that adds flavour and depth to various dishes and has multiple health benefits as well. Try using different types of cardamom and experiment with various dishes to discover the magic of this “queen of spices.”