Ground Cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum, buy your Indian spices in bags from 50 gr - 1 Kg here in our online spice store. The green cardamom plant is strong, just like the bamboo plant. Inside its flower, you find the oval cardamom pods. Inside the pods are three brown seeds.
What is Cardamom?
Cardamom is a spice. They are small, green, oval pods. They have a delicate fragrance reminiscent of the Orient. Do you know Arabic coffee? Then you know cardamom. They flavor their coffee with it. In contrast to its small size, cardamom has a strong taste. In India, it is the queen of spices. Here they have a long tradition of using this spice for over 2000 years.
The best cardamom grows, in the shady places of the forest, because it is nice and humid there. This perennial, tall plant belongs to the ginger family and is very similar to bamboo. It has a stature height of 3-4 meters. Their beautiful flowers enclose oval pods with three filled chambers of brown grains. These delicate cardamom fruits must be picked before bursting in the period from September to December. Then they are dried under the sun for about 4 days. The cardamom fruits are hard and green.
How does it taste?
The small black grains of cardamom pods contain essential oil. These have a sweet, spicy-hot aroma. They smell beguilingly of lemon, sandalwood, eucalyptus, rose, and honey. This unique composition has been valued not only in Indian cuisine but also in Asian and Arabic for centuries. In Germany, it is becoming increasingly popular due to its complex aroma profile.
What is cardamom used for?
Indian and Pakistani cuisine uses ground cardamom for rice dishes, curry, and stews. The Vietnamese kitchen uses it for PHO, a noodle soup that they serve with either beef or poultry. Please try ground cardamom over fruit salads, chicory fish marinades, and rice pudding.
Spice Mixtures with Ground Cardamom
Many spice blends have cardamom as an ingredient. It is in Curry, Melange Tahitienne, Masalas, Berbere, Baharat, Lamb Tajine, African Rub, Pain d'épice, Ras el Hanout and many more.
A Spice for Drinks
Ground cardamom is ideal for seasoning drinks. It spices yogi teas or other black tea varieties. In Germany, they mix it in mulled wine and Arab countries in coffee. Please try it in a glass of warm milk sweetened with a teaspoon of honey or in cocoa for children.
