Description

Cardamom, the 'queen of spices', is a rich spice culled from the seeds of a cardamum perennial plant, Elettaria cardamomum. It is one of the highly prized spices of the world. It is believed that the original home of this precious spice is the mountains of the South- Western parts of the Indian Peninsula. As early as the 4th century BC cardamom was used in India as a medicinal herb and was an article of Greek and Roman trade.

Cardamom is a native of Western Ghats in South India. India had a virtual monopoly of cardamom till recently. But now it is being cultivated in Guatemala, SriLanka, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Tanzania. Cardamom cultivation in India is confined to three states, viz. Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Culinary use

Cardamom is commonly used for seasoning in traditional dishes. Its special flavour is a feast to the taste buds. Cardamom is also added to tea to make it spicy, to give the combined taste and medicinal values of cardamom and tea.