Cardamom is one of the world's oldest spices

And the third most costly after saffron and vanilla. It is endemic to the woods of the Western Ghats in southern India, where it grows wild. It grows in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Indochina, Tanzania, El Salvador, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, among other places. Cardamom was well known in ancient times, and the Egyptians used it in fragrances and incense and chewing it to whiten their teeth, while the Romans used it to soothe their stomachs after overindulging.

Cardamom was found by the Vikings in Constantinople

Around a thousand years ago and introduced to Scandinavia, where it is still popular today. There are two primary kinds of cardamom described below, although four related species are found from Africa to Australia. Small green cardamom Elettaria cardamomum with large red/black cardamom Amomum subulatum or Amomum tsao-ko

Green cardamom is the most frequent kind

It is indigenous to Southeast Asia, growing in tropical rain forests from India south to Sri Lanka, east to Malaysia, and west to Indonesia. Black cardamom grows predominantly in Asia and Australia, whereas Amomum subulatum, commonly known as Nepal cardamom, has smaller pods and is primarily used in Indian cuisine. At the same time, Amomum Tsao-ko has bigger pods used to cook in China's Sichuan province. Both plants are members of the Zingiberaceae family.

Cardamom has a unique and robust taste

With an intensely aromatic and resinous scent. From my description, green cardamom is minty and fragrant, and I love to chew it, and it's something natural and safe that kills mouth odors from some pungent foods like garlic and onions. While black cardamom has a smoky, earthy flavor and has a strong taste and aroma, it cannot be chewed. Cardamom keeps best in pod form because once the seeds are exposed or crushed, they quickly lose their flavor. Cardamom was mentioned in the ingredient list of panchasugandha-thambula or five-cent betel chew in the Manasollasa or Book of Splendor in the 11th century in India. It was also mentioned in recipes from the Sultan of Mandu's court dating back to approximately 1500. Sorbets and rice dishes infused with cardamom are among the recipes included. Natural cardamom, also known as green cardamom, has become a commodity traded with South Asia during the last thousand years, thanks to Arab traders. In 1524, the Portuguese explorer Barbosa recorded exports from the Malabar Coast, near where cardamoms grew in the wild.

The worldwide cardamom trade

Was substantially established during Garcia da Orta's reign in 1563. Cardamom was developed as a supplementary crop on coffee plantations in other areas of India by the British colonies in the nineteenth century. Green cardamom is one of the most costly spices in weight, but it adds a lot of flavors. Green cardamom powder is used as a spice in sweet foods and as a traditional flavoring in coffee and tea in the Middle East. In the Nordic countries, as in Finnish sweet bread pulla or Scandinavian Julekake bread. In South Asia, green cardamom is often used in traditional Indian sweets and masala chai spicy tea. When you're weary or feeling down, a cup of spicy cardamom tea will perk up your senses. Black cardamom is sometimes used in garam masala for curries. It is sometimes used as a garnish on basmati rice and other meals. Because of its size, it is commonly referred to as fatty cardamom. A dessert known as kheer would be incomplete without the flavor of cardamom. It is a well-known and popular dish in India and Pakistan. In terms of its traditional application, it is typically used to heal skin problems and assist digestion.

Cardamom in different languages

French: cardamome. German: Kardamom. Italian: cardamomo, cardamone. Spanish: cardamomo. Burmese: phalazee. Chinese: ts’ao-k’ou. Hindi and Urdu: chhoti elachi, illaichi. Indonesian: kapulaga. Malay: buah pelaga. Sinhalese: enasal. Tamil: elam. Thai: grawahn, kravan.

Cardamom extraction method

Cardamom essential oil is derived from Elettaria cardomomum via steam distillation of the seeds of fruits collected shortly before maturity. Valerius Cordus distilled the essential oil for the first time in 1544 when the Portuguese found the Orient. Cardamom oil has a light to pale yellow hue and slightly watery consistency, with a sweet, spicy, almost balsamic fragrance.