Popularly known as “Elaichi” in Hindi, “Aelakka” in Malayalam, “Elakkai” in Tamil, “Yelakulu” in Telugu, “Yalakki” in Kannada, “Ilaychi” in Gujarati, “Hr̥daya rōga” in Nepali and “Huba alhal” in Arabic – cardamom is a spice made from the seeds of several plants belonging to the family Zingiberaceae.
The spice is native to India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Indonesia. Cardamom pods are small (that’s how they are recognized), triangular in cross-section, and shaped as spindles.
Called the Queen of Spices, cardamom is the world’s third most expensive spice – surpassed only by saffron and vanilla. And not just that – this spice comes in different types as well.
What Are The Different Types Of Cardamom?
Green and black cardamom – the two major types.
Green cardamom, also known as true cardamom, is the commonest variety. This is distributed from India to Malaysia.
- It is used to flavor both sweet and savory dishes.
- It is also added to rich curries and milk-based preparations for its fragrance.
- Tea and coffee are also spiced with cardamom.
Black cardamom is native to the Eastern Himalayas and is mostly cultivated in Sikkim, Eastern Nepal, and parts of West Bengal in India. It is brown and slightly elongated.
- It is used only in savory dishes like curries and biryani.
- It is also an essential ingredient in garam masala (the blend of spices).
- The dark brown seeds are known for their medicinal values – particularly so because of their nutrient content (volatile oils, calcium, iron, etc.).
We also have ground cardamom – which is nothing but what we get when the spice is crushed to obtain cardamom powder.
This spice does have an interesting history.
What Is The History Of Cardamom?
The use of cardamom dates back to at least 4,000 years. Considered one of the world’s oldest spices, it was used in ancient Egypt as a traditional medicine because of its medicinal properties – and even as a part of rituals and embalming. And the Romans and Greeks used this spice for its pungent aroma. The Vikings discovered it during their travels and brought it back to Scandinavia.
As of today, Guatemala is the largest producer of this spice in the world.
The spice is believed to have originally come from the Western Ghats in Southern India.
All of this is not as important as what is inside cardamom – the nutrients that make it what it is today.
What Is The Nutritional Profile Of Cardamom?
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