To get maximum flavour from the Cardamom pods it is always best to bruise them first to expose the seeds before adding to your dish at the start of the cooking process. Ground cardamom intensifies both sweet and savory flavors, and for this reason can be used in a variety of dishes.

One test-tube study examined the impact of these extracts on drug-resistant strains of Candida, a yeast that can cause fungal infections. The Kerala Land Reforms Act imposed restrictions on the size of certain agricultural holdings per household to the benefit of cardamom producers. The German coffee planter Oscar Majus Klöffer introduced Indian cardamom to cultivation in Guatemala before World War I; by 2000, that country had become the biggest producer and exporter of cardamom in the world, followed by India. Content on this site is not intended to substitute for advice given by medical practitioner, pharmacist, or other licensed health-care professional.

Green cardamom is one of the most expensive spices by weight, [16] but little is needed to impart flavour. In 1150, the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi noted that cardamom was being imported to Aden, in Yemen, from India and China. Test-tube studies have also shown that cardamom essential oils fight the bacteria Salmonella that leads to food poisoning and Campylobacter that contributes to stomach inflammation ( 24, 25). Although the typical harvest requires over 210 days of labor per year, most cardamom farmers are better off than many other agricultural workers, and there are a significant number of those from the upper strata of society involved in the cultivation process. Use in any dish remove the cardamom pods before eating, they are also very good for fresh breath - just suck on a pod for a few minutes, natural too!

Best practice would be to add them to dishes towards the end of the cooking process, as heat can cause the flavour to fade. The yield of the Mysore plantations was approximately 91,000 kg (200,000 lb), and the cultivation was mainly in Kadur district.It’s very versatile and often added to Indian curries and stews, as well as gingerbread cookies, bread and other baked goods. Their versatility knows no bounds, making them an essential ingredient for those who seek to infuse their recipes with a touch of sophistication and exotic allure. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. In the fourth year, weeding again occurs, and if the cardamoms grow less than 180 cm (6 ft) apart a few are transplanted to new positions.

Pods from the genus Eletteria are light green, while pods from the genus Amomum are larger and darker (black and red cardamom). Due to demand in ancient Greece and Rome, the cardamom trade developed into a handsome luxury business; cardamom was one of the spices eligible for import tax in Alexandria in 126 CE. True or green cardamom (or white cardamom [12] when bleached) comes from the species Elettaria cardamomum and is distributed from India to Malaysia.To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. After saffron and vanilla, cardamom is currently the third most expensive spice, [41] and is used as a spice and flavouring for food and liqueurs and in medicine.