History of Ground Cardamom

Cardamom has long been used in foods, drinks, medicines, and cosmetics with its popularity spanning the globe for thousands of years. It originated in South India, but as the story goes, Vikings were quick to introduce it to Scandinavia. Culinary Scientists tend to disagree with this narrative however, saying that it was likely the Moors who introduced Vikings to the spice which was quickly adopted into their cuisine.

In the height of the Greco-Roman culture, cardamom was used heavily as a perfume. Egyptians chewed on cardamom to freshen their breath and used it in embalming practices. Cleopatra, the last ruler of ancient Egypt, would flood her personal chambers with the scent of burning cardamom before Mark Anthony visited. British colonists living all over the globe in the 19th century established cardamom plantations, many of which are still in use today.

Cardamom Cultivation

The cardamom plant prefers slightly acidic soils and needs to stay wet. Cardamom is not drought tolerant, but when well cared for can live for decades. Cardamom plants usually only flower for three years, and the plants can grow up to ten feet tall. During the harvesting process, timing is critical to ensure not only optimum quality but maximum yield as well. When fully ripened, the cardamom pod splits open, allowing the seeds to be blown away or fall to the ground and get exposed to the air. The pods must be picked while still in the slightly immature green state and just as the seeds begin to turn dark inside the pod. The seed-containing cardamom capsules are then sold as green or bleached pods.

Guatemala is the largest producer of cardamom today, and in some places this spice is a more valuable cash crop than coffee

Where is Ground Cardamom from?

Our cardamom pods come from Guatemala or Egypt, depending on the time of year. We grind our cardamom in house.

Cooking with Ground Cardamom

Theres nothing subtle about cardamom and its complex flavor! The aroma alone is enough to open up your sinuses. Cardamom is extremely popular in Inidan cuisine, including spice blends like Berbere, Curry Powder, and Garam Masala. You will find ground cardamom on Indian sweets, puddings, yogurts, custards, and ice creams. In Saudi Arabia, coffee mixed with cardamom is served to guests as a symbol of hospitality. This special coffee is called "gahira" or "gahwa." Cardamom is great for pickling, especially pickling seafood like herring. You can use it to make punches and mulled wines, or liqueurs. Its great with other strong flavors, and can be used to make spiced meatballs.

Try it in applesauce! To make your own cardamom applesauce, youll need two pounds of your favorite applesauce apples peeled, cored, and cut into slices, 1 cup of water, ½ cup of demerara sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 1 and ½ teaspoons of ground cardamom. Combine your ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil over hot heat and then lower to medium low heat. Let the mixture cook for about 30 minutes until the apples are very tender. Cool and then mash the apples or transfer to a food processor and pulse until the desired consistency. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Serve either warm or cool. The applesauce can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.

Cardamom works well in combination with caraway, chili powder, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, paprika and pepper. Try it on fruit, nuts, butter, meat, and rice-based dishes.

One of our favorite recipes using Ground Cardamom is Chicken Biryani.

Should I Buy Whole or Ground Cardamom?

Ground cardamom, while convenient, is also like other spices in that it loses flavor rather quickly once ground. Cardamom is a spice that loses flavor exceptionally quickly because it has such a high amount of volatile oil. Once its ground, the oils will evaporate much more quickly than they would in the whole pod.

Weve found that you can grind the whole pod and do not need to split the pod and remove the seeds prior to grinding. While the seeds alone make up about 70% of the total weight of the pod, there is no noticeable flavor difference between grinding only the seeds or grinding the whole pod.

What is the Flavor of Ground Cardamom?

Ground Cardamom is sweet, lemony, and mildly spicy.

What Are the Different Types of Cardamom?

There are two types of cardamom, true cardamom and lesser cardamom. True cardamom is green cardamom, while lesser or false cardamom is black cardamom.

Substitutions and Conversions for Ground Cardamom

Substituting for ground cardamom is hard. Ground cardamom comes from decorticated seeds from the green cardamom pods, which can be used in place of black cardamom in recipes, however the reverse is not true. Black cardamom tastes the strongest and smokiest of the two, so its not a suitable swap for green cardamom. Instead, you could mix a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to get a flavor that most closely resembles green cardamom.

5 cardamom pods are roughly equal to about ¼ of a teaspoon of ground cardamom.

Read More

Indian Spices and Seasonings
All About Cardamom