What is Cardamom?

Cultural Cuisine and Cardamom

Cardamom, also known as the "queen of spices," is the dried fruit of the perennial Elettaria cardamomum (Zingiberaceae family), which is indigenous to India and Sri Lanka. Cardamom is an expensive spice, second only to saffron. It is used predominantly to flavor sweets, baked goods, rice dishes and coffee, particularly in South Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

United States: In North America, cardamom may be used as an ingredient in sausage products, soups, canned fish, and sometimes to flavor tobacco.

Guatemala: Cardamom is purportedly used to flavor chewing gum.

Mexico: Cardamom is used to flavor anisette and chewing gum.

England: The Normans purportedly introduced cardamom to England in the 11th Century. Based on a Russian recipe, "Russian cardamom mead" is a traditional British recipe for mead flavored with cardamom and clove.

Finland: Cardamom is used in cardamom buns called pulla.

France: Cardamom is sometimes used to flavor pots de crème and creme anglaise.

Germany: Baked goods, such as cookies called lebkuchen, sausages, and liqueurs use cardamom.

Netherlands: Speculaas, or Dutch windmill cookies, use cardamom.

Norway: Similar to its use in Germany, cardamom is also used to flavor cakes and liqueurs in Norway. It is also added to cakes, pastries, sausages and some pickles.

Russia: Pastries, sausages, and liqueurs are purportedly flavored with cardamom throughout Russia. There is a special Russian winter drink called sbiten, which is infused with cardamom and consumed warm.

Scandinavia (general): Cardamom is used to flavor akvavit, a liquor distilled from grain or potatoes.

Sweden: Cardamom is added to cakes, pastries, sausages and some pickles.

Afghanistan: Cardamom seeds are toasted and used in garam masala as well as to flavor black teas and coffee. Cardamom is used in meat and vegetable dishes, pickles and pilaf dishes.

China: Cardamom pods are used for meat dishes, especially in the Sichuan province.

India: Cardamom is widely used in Indian cuisine to season meats and vegetables. It is used to flavor drinks and desserts. Cardamom is also an ingredient in garam masala, a spice mixture used in various Indian dishes. In India's Mughlai cuisine, cardamom pods may be fried and added to various rice biriyani dishes. Occasionally, cardamom is used as a garnish for basmati rice and other dishes as well. Ground cardamom may be used in the fermented milk drink lassi as flavoring, or simply a garnish. It is also used to flavor coffees and teas. In Northern India, especially Kashmir, cardamom is used to flavor sweet green tea call Kashmir kavah. Gajar halva is a creamy dessert made from milk, carrots, sugar and ground cardamom.

Sri Lanka: Cardamom may be added to hot beef or chicken curries.

Thailand: Cardamom may be encountered in teas and various mussaman curries or the savory rice dish known as khao buri.

Turkey: Cardamom is an ingredient used in a spice blend called baharat, which typically consists of black pepper, cardamom, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, and paprika.

Uzbekistan: Plov, or rice dishes, employ cardamom in its aromatic layers of meat, fruit and vegetables.

Iran: Cardamom is used in a rice recipe called polo. The rice is usually layered in meat or vegetable stews that are flavored with cardamom, cinnamon, and other spices. Cardamom is also used in a spice mixture called advieh, which is typically used in rice dishes. It consists of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, ginger, and rose petals or buds. It may also contain black pepper, coriander, ground golpar, mace, nutmeg, saffron and sesame.

Iraq: Cardamom is a main ingredient in boharat, a spice blend similar to the baharat blend used in Turkey.

Pakistan: Cardamom may be used to flavor coffees and teas, as well as a spice in sweet dishes.

Egypt: Cardamom is ground and used to flavor coffee.

Ethiopia: Cardamom is used as an ingredient in berbere and mitmita, two different spice pastes. Berbere may also include ginger, coriander, fenugreek, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, onions, garlic, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Mitmita may contain chili peppers, clove, salt, and other spices which include, but are not limited to, cinnamon, cumin and ginger. Both spice mixes are used in a wide variety of savory dishes. Cardamom is also used in coffee rituals.

Morocco: Cardamom is used as an ingredient in Moroccan lentil soup and ras el hanout, which typically contains cardamom, chili powder, cinnamon, clove, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, peppercorn and turmeric, although it purportedly may contain up to 100 spices.

North Africa (general): In areas of North Africa, cardamom is used in ras el hanout, a popular blend of herbs and spices. Cardamom is one of the most popular spices, with cardamom coffee being a symbol of prestige and hospitality.

Yemen: The paste zhoug uses cardamom in addition to chili peppers, coriander, parsley, garlic, black pepper, salt, cumin, and olive oil. Zhoug is added to salads and sauces for fish, poultry and meat dishes.

For more information about cardamom, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

References
1.Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com

http://www.depsyl.com

http://back2basicnutrition.com/

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/