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Cardamom origins uses recipe
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Origin and History
Cardamom is the seed of a perennial plant known as Elettaria cardamomum which belongs to the family Zingiberaceae (ginger family). One of the most expensive spices in the world, second only to saffron, it has been used for medicinal, spiritual and culinary purposes for millennia and is currently used in many cuisines the world over.
Although native to India, in particular growing wild on the Malabar Coast in the south, the peoples of Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, and China have been aware of the benefits cardamom both as a medicinal constituent and for culinary purposes as well as in spiritual rituals for over 5000 years. It was grown in the garden of the king of Babylon c721BC and mention of it as being a spice liable to duty in Alexandria appears in lists dated 176-180AD.
Alexander the Great’s soldiers introduced it to Europe upon returning from India around 325BC and the ancient Romans and Greeks not only used it in food and for medicinal purposes, but also in perfumes. Indeed, it is said that Cleopatra had her palace perfumed with Cardamom for Mark Anthony’s visits.
The Normans first introduced cardamom into England in the 11th century however it wasn’t until the 17th century that cardamom was imported to Europe on a regular basis with the advent of easier trade routes by sea, set up by the Dutch, Portuguese and British, rather than the laborious over-land routes
Cultivation and Processing
Harvesting can start in the plant’s third year and is generally done when the fruit is 2/3rds ripe and still green. The pods which contain around 20 seeds are hand picked and then dried, traditionally in the sun but nowadays sometimes mechanically, after which they are sorted and graded. Pods which don’t have the uniform green colour are often bleached using bleaching powder, sulphur dioxide or hydrogen peroxide however this results in a loss of flavour.
Any pods which are left to ripen more, thus losing their green colour can also be harvested, however these tend to burst open more readily resulting, in a loss of essential oils and are therefore, once again, less flavoursome. Once the sorting has taken place, they are either used whole or ground.
Buying and Storing
As with most other spices, both whole and ground cardamom should be stored in an airtight container. Cardamom pods will last for many months.
Cardamom in Cooking
Cardamom has a strong, aromatic odour yet a delicate, spicy flavour. It is used in many cuisines worldwide in both sweet and savoury dishes.
In India and surrounding countries it is a popular ingredient in curries and meat dishes. It is one of the spices used in Garam Masala and is an essential ingredient for Pilau Rice as well as being used in desserts and sweetmeats.
In Europe, it is traditionally associated with Festive seasons (probably due to its high price) and today is used as an ingredient in breads, pastries (particularly in Scandinavian countries) as well as some desserts, much like cinnamon. In Russia and Germany it has been used to flavour liqueurs for over 500 years. It is also sometimes used in meat, poultry and shellfish dishes as well as in mulled wines and pickles.
With all that said possibly the largest consumers of Cardamom are Middle Easterners (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Turkey) where they use it to flavour coffee…big time!
Click here for lots of Cardamom Recipes When a recipe calls for whole cardamom, crack the pod slightly before adding them to the dish to extract the full flavour.
Main Courses
Accompaniments Mustard Sauce Veg CD ACC Danish 10mins Cardamom Peas Veg HT ACC 15mins Cardamom Sauce Veg CD ACC Danish 20mins plus cooling Danish Soup Dumplings Veg HT ACC Danish 30mins Cardamom Rice Veg HT Indian ACC 35mins Maple Butternut Squash Veg HT ACC 35mins Vegetable Pulao Veg HT Indian ACC 45mins
Desserts, Cakes and Baked Fayre Cardamom Ice Cream Veg CD DP 25mins plus chilling and freezing Saib Ka Halva Veg HT DP Pakistani 30mins Cardamom Scones Veg HT CD CBF 35mins Cardamom Biscuits Veg CD CBF 40mins Pears with Spiced Cranberry Sauce Veg CD DP 45mins Sweet Buns Veg CD CBF Finnish 50mins Cardamom Creme Brulee Veg CD DP 65mins plus cooling
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The
Cardamom plant is a bushy perennial which grows up to 3m. They are found
growing in the wild mainly
