Cardamom
An aromatic spice used in cooking throught the world.
Cardamom (frequently misspelled and mispronounced "cardamon") is the common name for several plant species native to India and southeastern Asia. Cardamom is used for their aromatic pods and seeds.
According to Encarta Online "The true cardamom has large leaves and white flowers with blue stripes and yellow borders; it grows to about 3 m (about 10 ft) in height. The fruit is a small capsule with 8 to 16 brown seeds; the seeds are used as a spice."
Scientific classification: Cardamom belong to the family Zingiberaceae. The true cardamom is classified as Elettaria cardamomum.
Credits: "Cardamom," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Cardamom is spice used in countries throughout the world but most prominently in India and Europe. In India, whole pods, green or brown are fried to extract the flavor and added to curries. In Europe the seed is used to flavor breads and pastries.
Be conservative when using cardamom because it can be quite overpowering when over-used.
Purchase cardamom seed or ground cardamom in most grocery stores. Whole pods, green or brown can be found in India or Asian grocery stores.
Ground cardamom is the most perishable so it is best to purchase in small amounts and discard after 3 months. The seed will last longer and can be ground. The whole pods can be stored at least for a year.
Buy Cardamom OnlineThe harder to find varieties can be found in our online store.