CARDAMOM is in the Ginger family, Zingiberaceae. There are two types: Elettaria and Amomum are native to India and are commonly referred to as cardamom. Elettaria pods are light green while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown. The word cardamom is derived from the Latin cardamomum, the Latinization of the Greek κaρδαμον (kardamon), “cress” + (amomon), a kind of an Indian spice plant. It is the worlds third-most expensive spice, outstripped in price per weight only by saffron and vanilla. The two main genera of the ginger family that are named as forms of cardamom are: *Elettaria (commonly called Cardamom, green cardamom, or true cardamom) is distributed from India to Malaysia. *Amomum (commonly known as black cardamom, brown cardamom, Kravan, Java cardamom, Bengal cardamom, Siamese cardamom, white cardamom, or red cardamom) is distributed mainly in Asia and Australia. Both forms of cardamom are used as flavorings in both food and drink, teas, as cooking spices and as a medicine. Elettaria cardamomum (the usual type of cardamom) is used as a spice, chewed to increase salivation, and in medicine as a digestive. Green cardamom is broadly used in South Asia to treat infections in teeth and gums, as well as throat troubles, and congestion of the lungs, inflammation of eyelids, but mainly digestive disorders. Amomum is used as a spice and as an ingredient in traditional medicine in systems of the traditional Chinese medicine in China, in Ayurveda in India, Pakistan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance. Black cardamom has a distinctly more smokey, though not bitter, aroma, with a coolness some consider similar to mint. Green cardamom is one of the most expensive spices by weight, but little is needed to impart flavor. It is best stored in pod form because once the seeds are exposed or ground, they quickly lose their flavor. When stored in an airtight container at low temperature it can retain its aroma and flavor for many years. Cardamom is a common ingredient in Indian cooking and is often used in baking in the Nordic countries, in particular in Sweden and Finland. In the Middle East, green cardamom powder is used as a spice for sweet dishes, as well as traditional flavor in coffee and tea. In Asia both types of cardamom are widely used in both sweet and savory dishes, particularly in the south. Both are frequent components in spice mixes, such as Indian and Nepali masalas and Thai curry pastes. Green cardamom is often used in traditional Indian sweets and in masala chai (spiced chai). The content of essential oil in the seeds may be as high as 8%. In the oil were found: α-terpineol 45%, myrcene 27%, limonene 8%, menthone 6%, β-phellandrene 3%, 1,8-cineol 2%, sabinene 2% and heptane 2%.[16] Other sources report 1,8-cineol (20 to 50%), α-terpenylacetate (30%), sabinene, limonene (2 to 14%), and borneol. [1] Mabberley, D.J. The Plant-book: A Portable Dictionary of the Higher Plants. Cambridge University Press, 1996. [2] Plant Cultures: botany and history of Cardamom [3] Pham Hoang Ho 1993, Cay Co Vietnam [Plants of Vietnam: in Vietnamese], vols. I, II & III, Montreal. [4] Aubertine, C. 2004, Cardamom (Amomum spp.) in Lao PDR: the hazardous future of an agroforest system product, in ‘Forest products, livelihoods and conservation: case studies of non-timber forest products systems vol. 1-Asia, Center for International Forest Research. Jakarta, Indonesia. [5] Álvarez, L., Gudiel, V. 2008. ‘Cardamom prices leads to a re-emergence of the green gold’.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 00:26:23 +0000
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