When it comes to choosing the best quality of green cardamom, there are certain important factors that you must take into account. For example, when buying in bulk, you should look for a seller who has a good track record and who offers the best price. However, when buying in smaller quantities, you must consider cardamom quality as well as quantity. The tips covered here will help you to choose the best quality of green cardamom.
Green cardamom is a spice that can be used in a variety of ways. For example, it is commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking as well as in some Scandinavian dishes. When choosing green cardamom, there are several factors that you should consider to ensure that you get the best possible product.
In addition to considering the several factors below, you may want to take into consideration the source of the cardamom you are using. Much like coffee beans, green cardamom can come from different regions across the world. These regions often have drastically different harvesting seasons. As a result, their products vary accordingly.*
The Quality Factor:
When buying green cardamom, quality is one of the most important factors to consider. The highest quality will be found among crops grown in South India or on Indian islands such as Sri Lanka and Madagascar. This is due to the specific climate conditions found there which promote high quality growth.*
To ensure that you are getting only the highest quality product, pick out plump and aromatic pods for purchase. You should also look for pods with unbroken skin and fleshy seeds inside.*
Another way to test for quality is to crush a pod between your fingers then smell the aroma given off by the crushed seeds. If
Green cardamom is the dried seed pod of an exotic tropical flowering plant. The pods are picked when they are green and then dried in the sun. Green cardamom has a warm, spicy and slightly lemony flavor used extensively in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Green cardamom can be purchased whole or ground into powder. It is one of the most expensive spices in the world. In India, green cardamom is considered to be a status symbol and therefore used very sparingly.
India produces around 70% of the world’s supply of cardamom and exports large quantities to Britain and America.
The finest quality of green cardamom comes from Kerala in southern India, but most of it is exported.*
Green cardamom is available from all spice stores and grocery stores that stock a wide range of spices.*
You can buy green cardamom by visiting various online websites where you can also get detailed information on how to store it. There are many ways to store it effectively depending upon how long you plan on keeping your supply for.*
Green Cardamom is the world’s third most expensive spice by weight. In the US, Green Cardamom (both seeds and powder) is used in northern European cuisine, especially in Scandinavian countries.
Many traditional recipes use a mix of cardamom and cinnamon to add a special aroma and flavour to baked goods. The two spices are often mixed together as well, to create mulled wine or tea.
Green Cardamom is also used in Indian cuisine; it is a critical ingredient in garam masala spice blends, where it flavors meat dishes. In southern India, green cardamom powder is added to coffee and tea. Green cardamom is also used in the Middle East and Mexico.*
Green Cardamom should not be confused with Black Cardamom or White Cardamom. For the sake of convenience (and due to its limited use), most recipes call for either “green cardamom” or “cardamom”. It should be noted that although all these spices are from the same plant family, they are quite different from each other, both in appearance and taste.
green cardamom is the dried fruit of the plant Elettaria cardamomum and has a warm, spicy taste. The spice is the third most expensive in the world.
Green cardamom is known to be effective against worms, flatulence and constipation. You can add it to hot milk to make a good aromatic drink or use it in sweets and cakes. It goes well with savoury dishes and meat stews. Meanwhile, it is used for flavoring coffee too.
It is a bit difficult to store green cardamom because of its strong smell; therefore, you should keep it well-sealed in containers with airholes so that moisture does not reach the seeds. If you do this, your spice will be good for about 4 months.
There are two types of cardamom – black and green. Black cardamom is highly pungent, has a strong camphor-like aroma and helps to clear the sinuses when eaten raw.
Green cardamom is sweeter in flavor and aroma and is used in curries and spicy meats. Both the green and black varieties are commonly used in Indian cooking, however, the green variety is grown mainly in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan while black cardamom is grown mainly in Madagascar, Indonesia, Tanzania and China.
The main difference between green cardamom and black cardamom can be seen by looking at their color – green has a lighter hue compared to the deep brownish-black of the black one. The size of the pods also varies – green pods are larger than the ones of the black variety but contain fewer seeds. The outer covering of both varieties is dark brown to black with a rough exterior which gives it a very distinct look that can be easily differentiated from other types of spices.
The best time for harvesting cardamom is after about 4 years of cultivation when it’s essential oils reach its highest levels making it stronger in taste and aroma.
The seeds of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) are small, oval shaped, and light brown in color. They have a pungent aroma and a bitter taste. Cardamom is native to the Indian Subcontinent and has been used as a spice for thousands of years.
Toxicity- Cardamom is safe when consumed in small quantities. However, ingesting large quantities of it may cause skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Pests And Diseases- The plant is susceptible to root rot, aphids and other pests.
Soil- The best conditions for growing cardamom are a sunny location with well drained soil that has sufficient nutrients.
Watering- It requires moderate watering during the first two or three years of its life. Thereafter it can withstand drought conditions as well as moisture stress well.
Harvest Time- The harvesting period varies from region to region depending on type, climate and soil conditions. Most commonly the harvesting period begins 2 to 3 years after planting.
