Cardamom, the Queen of Spices

Posted Sat, 12/01/2007 - 8:00am

I had my first taste of cardamom in a delectable rice pudding served at the Khyber Pass, back in the days when the St. Paul restaurant was on St. Clair Avenue and run by an old Afghani man and his son. Like most Westerners, my experience of cardamom was having it mixed in with something sweet, in this case milk and sugar. In Scandinavia the seeds are used in breads and desserts, but in the parts of south Asia where cardamom originated, it has been used for centuries as a flavoring for savory dishes as well as for traditional medicine and food preservation.

The Queen of Spices

Cardamom is native to India and Sri Lanka, where it grows wild in parts of the monsoon forests of the Western Ghats. Until just 200 years ago, most of the world’s supply of cardamom came from this area, known as the Cardamom Hills. It has now been introduced all over tropical Asia, where it is currently cultivated.

The cardamom plant, which is a member of the ginger family, grows in a thick clump of up to 20 leafy shoots, and can reach a height of between 6 and almost 18 feet. The fruits have been traded in India for at least 1000 years. It was known as the Queen of Spices, with black pepper being the King. Cardamom is now the third most expensive spice in the world, after saffron and vanilla. It is traded mostly in whole fruit form.

Green cardamoms are the ‘true’ dried cardamom fruits and are sweetly fragrant with a slightly pungent flavor. Brown or black varieties of cardamom are larger, coarser in flavor and scent, and tend to be used more in meat dishes and pickles. These ‘false’ cardamoms are found in South Asia, China, Nepal, Indonesia, and Africa.

Cardamom as food and medicine

The dried fruits and seeds of cardamom are used to add a unique taste to rice, meat, and vegetables, and as an essential ingredient in curries and pilaus. Whole and ground cardamom seeds are added to flavor coffee and teas. The seeds are also highly valued in Kashmir as an essential ingredient of the drink “kahwa,” which is fragrant and sweet black tea. Although not strictly a food use, the aromatic properties of cardamom make it a good breath freshener. It is frequently chewed after meals and may sometimes be included as a flavoring in a betel quid, a chewing tobacco-like concoction that is enjoyed primarily on the Indian subcontinent.

Cardamom seeds have been used in a range of medicinal preparations. Roasted seeds can be boiled with betel nuts to make a drink used to treat indigestion and nausea. They are also added to tea to make a tonic to relieve the symptoms of stress due to overwork or depression. Cardamom seeds are given to patients with bad breath, and a capsule of cardamom taken with honey is reputed to improve eyesight. The traditional uses of cardamom to treat skin conditions have attracted the attention of those developing plantbased cosmetics, especially as it has been used traditionally to treat areas of the body that have red pigmentation. It is often incorporated into soaps and hand creams.

Cardamom essential oil is produced in small quantities in India. The oil of cardamom seeds is known to inhibit bacterial growth. Small quantities are included in some foods as a preservative. It is mainly used in the flavoring of processed foods and drinks such as cordials, bitters, and liqueurs, and occasionally in perfumery. Cardamom oleoresin has applications similar to the essential oil. It is mainly used to flavor meat products with a short shelf life, such as sausages. It is used in low quantities so it doesn’t taint the flavor of the food.

Buying and storing cardamom

When buying cardamom pods, look for them to be about the size of blueberries. Pods protect the seeds, which in turn protect their flavor. Pods should be green or black; sometimes vendors bleach the husk, which reduces the flavor. Seeds are also sold loose or in ground form. These will not retain flavor and should be used quickly, if at all! Grinding your own seeds from the pod is best.

Cardamom pods can be stored up to two months in an airtight container. If you see signs of mold, discard the affected pod.

Usage Tips (from bigoven.com)

  • The pod can be lightly crushed and cooked with seeds inside. Discard the hull before serving.
  • The seeds from five pods, when ground, will produce about onequarter teaspoon.
  • When using in coffee, add a small amount to the basket before brewing.
  • Ground cardamom seeds are an excellent addition to pies, pastries, and custards.
  • Add unroasted split or whole seeds to lentils.
  • Combine seeds with other whole spices and roast before adding to a dish.

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