SPICE OF THE WEEK
Cardamom
Recipes
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The name cardamom (or cardamon) 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.
Types and distribution
The two main genera of the ginger family that are named as
forms of cardamom are distributed as follows:
Elettaria (commonly called cardamom, green cardamom, or true
cardamom) is distributed from India to Malaysia.
Amomum (commonly known as black cardamom, brown
cardamom, Kravan, Java cardamom, Bengal cardamom, Siamese
cardamom, white or red cardamom) is distributed mainly in Asia
and Australia.
Varieties
Njallani
Njallani is a unique high-yielding cardamom variety developed by
an Indian farmer Sebastian Joseph at Kattappana in the South
Indian state of Kerala.
Sebastian Joseph and his son Regimon let bees cross-pollinate
the cardamom plants and came up with a new high-yielding
variety that he named Njallani, after his ancestral home. This
variety yields 1500 kg/hectare as compared to the conventional
200 kg/ha. And it revolutionised cardamom cultivation in the state
of Kerala.
Uses
The most common form of cardamom - green cardamom - is used
as a flavoring, mainly for coffee and tea.
In some Middle Eastern countries, coffee and cardamom are
often cooked and ground together in a mihbaz, an oven using
wood or gas, and in a wooden mortar to produce mixtures that
are as much as forty percent cardamom. In some cultures, the
grinding is ritualized and accompanied by singing and dancing.
All the different cardamom species and varieties are used mainly
as cooking spices and as medicines. In general:
Elettaria cardamomum (the usual type of cardamom) is used as
a spice, a masticatory, and in medicine; it is also sometimes
smoked; it is used as a food plant by the larva of the moth
Endoclita hosei.
Amomum is used as an ingredient in traditional systems of
medicine in China, India, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
In the Middle East and Turkey, green cardamom powder is used
as a spice for sweet dishes as well as traditional flavouring in
coffee and tea. It is also used to some extent in some dish
recipes. In Arabic, cardamom is called al-Hayl. In Persian, it is
called hel.
In South Asia green cardamom is often used in traditional Indian
sweets and in tea, or chai. Black cardamom is sometimes used
in garam masala for curries. It is often referred to by its size as
being 'Moti Elaichi' or fat cardamom. In Hindi, and Urdu
cardamom is called elaichi, and "yelakki" in Kannada and other
South Indian languages. It is called Elakka in Malayalam, which
is the language of Kerala an Indian province that accounts for
70% of Indian cardamom.
In Northern Europe, cardamom is commonly used in sweet foods.
It has also been known to be used for making gin.
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. It is one of the most expensive
spices by weight, and 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 traditional medicine
In South Asia green cardamom, called "Elaichi" in Telugu, Tamil,
Hindi and Urdu, 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 is also reportedly used as an antidote
for both snake and scorpion venom.
Species in the genus Amomum are also used in traditional Indian
medicine. 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. "Tsaoko"
cardamom Amomum tsao-ko is cultivated in Yunnan, China and
northwest Vietnam, both for medicinal purposes and as a spice.
Increased demand since the 1980s, principally from China, for
both Amomum villosum and Amomum tsa-ko has provided a key
source of income for poor farmers living at higher altitudes in
localized areas of China, Laos and Vietnam, people typically
isolated from many other markets. Recently, Nepal has been the
world's largest producer of Cardamom. These days, Guatemala
has become the world's largest producer and exporter of
Cardamom, with a staggering exports of US$137.2 million for
2007.
Cardamom
Recipes
Click Here
The name cardamom (or cardamon) 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.
Types and distribution
The two main genera of the ginger family that are named as
forms of cardamom are distributed as follows:
Elettaria (commonly called cardamom, green cardamom, or true
cardamom) is distributed from India to Malaysia.
Amomum (commonly known as black cardamom, brown
cardamom, Kravan, Java cardamom, Bengal cardamom, Siamese
cardamom, white or red cardamom) is distributed mainly in Asia
and Australia.
Varieties
Njallani
Njallani is a unique high-yielding cardamom variety developed by
an Indian farmer Sebastian Joseph at Kattappana in the South
Indian state of Kerala.
Sebastian Joseph and his son Regimon let bees cross-pollinate
the cardamom plants and came up with a new high-yielding
variety that he named Njallani, after his ancestral home. This
variety yields 1500 kg/hectare as compared to the conventional
200 kg/ha. And it revolutionised cardamom cultivation in the state
of Kerala.
Uses
The most common form of cardamom - green cardamom - is used
as a flavoring, mainly for coffee and tea.
In some Middle Eastern countries, coffee and cardamom are
often cooked and ground together in a mihbaz, an oven using
wood or gas, and in a wooden mortar to produce mixtures that
are as much as forty percent cardamom. In some cultures, the
grinding is ritualized and accompanied by singing and dancing.
All the different cardamom species and varieties are used mainly
as cooking spices and as medicines. In general:
Elettaria cardamomum (the usual type of cardamom) is used as
a spice, a masticatory, and in medicine; it is also sometimes
smoked; it is used as a food plant by the larva of the moth
Endoclita hosei.
Amomum is used as an ingredient in traditional systems of
medicine in China, India, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
In the Middle East and Turkey, green cardamom powder is used
as a spice for sweet dishes as well as traditional flavouring in
coffee and tea. It is also used to some extent in some dish
recipes. In Arabic, cardamom is called al-Hayl. In Persian, it is
called hel.
In South Asia green cardamom is often used in traditional Indian
sweets and in tea, or chai. Black cardamom is sometimes used
in garam masala for curries. It is often referred to by its size as
being 'Moti Elaichi' or fat cardamom. In Hindi, and Urdu
cardamom is called elaichi, and "yelakki" in Kannada and other
South Indian languages. It is called Elakka in Malayalam, which
is the language of Kerala an Indian province that accounts for
70% of Indian cardamom.
In Northern Europe, cardamom is commonly used in sweet foods.
It has also been known to be used for making gin.
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. It is one of the most expensive
spices by weight, and 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 traditional medicine
In South Asia green cardamom, called "Elaichi" in Telugu, Tamil,
Hindi and Urdu, 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 is also reportedly used as an antidote
for both snake and scorpion venom.
Species in the genus Amomum are also used in traditional Indian
medicine. 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. "Tsaoko"
cardamom Amomum tsao-ko is cultivated in Yunnan, China and
northwest Vietnam, both for medicinal purposes and as a spice.
Increased demand since the 1980s, principally from China, for
both Amomum villosum and Amomum tsa-ko has provided a key
source of income for poor farmers living at higher altitudes in
localized areas of China, Laos and Vietnam, people typically
isolated from many other markets. Recently, Nepal has been the
world's largest producer of Cardamom. These days, Guatemala
has become the world's largest producer and exporter of
Cardamom, with a staggering exports of US$137.2 million for
2007.
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