What is Cardamom?
Cardamom is a spice from the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). Cardamom is the world's third-most expensive spice, surpassed only by saffron and vanilla. This precious commodity is sold in whole pods, shelled whole seeds, or in powdered form. Like all plants, cardamom can be of use medicinally as well as in food. The flavour of cardamom is almost indescribable – certainly potent, with notes of spicy citrus. Cardamom works best when blended with other spices. The deeply intense flavour works wonderfully in both sweet and savory dishes, for which is used all over the world. Apart from being one of the foundation spices of Indian cooking, cardamom is an essential spice in almost all masala chai (spiced tea) recipes, including our own. In India, a prepared spice mix called garam masala gives curries their incredibly addictive flavour. To create garam masala, cardamom is blended with cloves, cinnamon, mace, cumin and other aromatic spices. |