Cardamom

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Cardamom (disambiguation).

Cardamom
Amomum subulatum
Part(s) of plantSeed
UsesFlavoring, spice
True cardamom plant (Elettaria cardamomum)
Cardamom seeds

Cardamom (

genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae.[3] Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia
. They are recognized by their small seed pods: triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin, papery outer shell and small, black seeds; Elettaria pods are light green and smaller, while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown.

Species used for cardamom are native throughout tropical and subtropical Asia. The first references to cardamom are found in Sumer, and in Ayurveda.[4] In the 21st century, it is cultivated mainly in India, Indonesia, and Guatemala.[4]

Etymology

The word cardamom is derived from the

Latinisation of the Greek καρδάμωμον (kardámōmon),[6] a compound of κάρδαμον (kárdamon, "cress")[7] and ἄμωμον (ámōmon), of unknown origin.[8]

The earliest attested form of the word κάρδαμον signifying "cress" is the Mycenaean Greek ka-da-mi-ja, written in Linear B syllabic script,[9] in the list of flavorings on the spice tablets found among palace archives in the House of the Sphinxes in Mycenae.[10]

The modern genus name Elettaria is derived from the root ēlam attested in

Dravidian languages.[11]

Types and distribution

The two main types of cardamom are:

The two types of cardamom, καρδάμωμον and ἄμωμον, were distinguished in the fourth century BCE by Theophrastus.[13]

Uses

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on

Both forms of cardamom are used as flavorings and cooking spices in both food and drink. E. cardamomum (green cardamom) is used as a spice, a masticatory, or is smoked.[14]

Intact and opened cardamom pods, showing the seeds (20mm Indian 1-rupee coin for scale)

Food and beverage

Besides use as flavourant and spice in foods, cardamom-flavoured tea, also flavoured with cinnamon, is consumed as a hot beverage

Cardamom has a strong taste, with an aromatic, resinous fragrance. Black cardamom has a more smoky – though not bitter – aroma, with a coolness some consider similar to mint.[who?]

Green cardamom is one of the most expensive spices by weight,[15] but little is needed to impart flavor. It is best stored in the pod, as exposed or ground seeds quickly lose their flavor. Grinding the pods and seeds together lowers both the quality and the price. For recipes requiring whole cardamom pods, a generally accepted equivalent is 10 pods equals 1+1⁄2 teaspoons (7.4 ml) of ground cardamom.[citation needed]

Cardamom is a common ingredient in Indian cooking. It is also often used in

pulla. In the Middle East, green cardamom powder is used as a spice for sweet dishes, and as a traditional flavouring in coffee and tea. Cardamom is used to a wide extent in savoury dishes. In some Middle Eastern countries, coffee and cardamom are often ground in a wooden mortar, a mihbaj, and cooked together in a skillet, a mehmas, over wood or gas, to produce mixtures with up to 40% cardamom.[citation needed
]

Cardamom (Elaichi) from India

In Asia, both types of cardamom are widely used in both sweet and savoury dishes, particularly in the south. Both are frequent components in such spice mixes as Indian and Nepali

Indian sweets and in masala chai (spiced tea). Both are also often used as a garnish in basmati rice and other dishes. Individual seeds are sometimes chewed and used in much the same way as chewing gum. It is used by confectionery giant Wrigley; its Eclipse Breeze Exotic Mint packaging indicates the product contains "cardamom to neutralize the toughest breath odors". It is also included in aromatic bitters, gin, and herbal teas
.

In Korea, Tavoy cardamom (

Lanxangia tsao-ko) are used in tea called jeho-tang
.

Composition

The

1,8-cineol, 2% sabinene and 2% heptane. Other sources report the following contents: 1,8-cineol (20 to 50%), α-terpenylacetate (30%), sabinene, limonene (2 to 14%), and borneol.[citation needed
]

In the seeds of round cardamom from Java (Wurfbainia compacta), the content of essential oil is lower (2 to 4%), and the oil contains mainly 1,8-cineol (up to 70%) plus

α-pinene, α-terpineol and humulene are found.[16]

Production

Cardamom production – 2022
Country Production (tonnes)
 India 41,000
 Indonesia 40,565
 Guatemala 36,407
World 138,888
Source:
FAOSTAT of the United Nations[17]

In 2022, world production of cardamom (included with nutmeg and mace for reporting to the United Nations) was 138,888 tonnes, led by India, Indonesia and Guatemala, which together accounted for 85% of the total (table).

Cardamom sale ₹2000/kg at khari boali market, Delhi

Production practices

According to Nair (2011), in the years when India achieves a good crop, it is still less productive than Guatemala.[18] Other notable producers include Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, and Vietnam.[18]

Much production of cardamom in India is cultivated on private property or in areas the government leases out to farmers.

Malabar the seasons run a little later than in Mysore, and – according to some reports – a full crop may be obtained in the third year. Cardamoms grown above 600 m (2,000 ft) elevation are considered to be of higher quality than those grown below that altitude.[20]

Plants may be raised from seed or by division of the rhizome. In about a year, the seedlings reach about 30 cm (1 ft) in length, and are ready for transplantation. The flowering season is April to May, and after swelling in August and September, by the first half of October usually attain the desired degree of ripening. The crop is accordingly gathered in October and November, and in exceptionally moist weather, the harvest protracts into December.[20] At the time of harvesting, the scapes or shoots bearing the clusters of fruits are broken off close to the stems and placed in baskets lined with fresh leaves. The fruits are spread out on carefully prepared floors, sometimes covered with mats, and are then exposed to the sun. Four or five days of careful drying and bleaching in the sun is usually enough. In rainy weather, drying with artificial heat is necessary, though the fruits suffer greatly in colour; they are consequently sometimes bleached with steam and sulphurous vapour or with ritha nuts.[20]

The industry is highly labour-intensive, each hectare requiring considerable maintenance throughout the year. Production constraints include recurring climate vagaries, the absence of regular re-plantation, and ecological conditions associated with deforestation.[21]

Cultivation

Terraced cardamom plants in India
Labeled varieties of cardamom in storage containers

In 1873 and 1874,

Kizhekethil Chandy held the office of Chairman of the Cardamom Board.[27] The Kerala Land Reforms Act imposed restrictions on the size of certain agricultural holdings per household to the benefit of cardamom producers.[19]

In 1979–1980, Guatemala surpassed India in worldwide production.[18] Guatemala cultivates Elettaria cardamomum, which is native to the Malabar Coast of India.[28] Alta Verapaz Department produces 70 percent of Guatemala's cardamom.[28] Cardamom was introduced to Guatemala before World War I by the German coffee planter Oscar Majus Kloeffer.[29] After World War II, production was increased to 13,000 to 14,000 tons annually.[26]

The average annual income for a plantation-owning household in 1998 was US$3,408.

FAO.[30]

Trade

Cardamom production's demand and supply patterns of trade are influenced by price movements, nationally and internationally, in 5 to 6-year cycles.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 80 percent of cardamom's total consumption occurs in the Middle East.[33]

In the 19th century,

Ceylon's cardamom was chiefly imported by Canada.[37] After saffron and vanilla, cardamom is currently the third most expensive spice,[32] and is used as a spice and flavouring for food and liqueurs.[22]

History

Chinese drawing and description of cardamom from the Bencao Pinhui Jingyao (1505), by imperial physician Liu Wentai

Cardamom has been used in flavorings and food over centuries. During the Middle Ages, cardamom dominated the trade industry. The Arab states played a significant role in the trade of Indian spices, including cardamom. It is now ranked the third most expensive spice following saffron and vanilla.[3][38]

Cardamom production began in ancient times, and has been referred to in ancient Sanskrit texts as ela.[39] The Babylonians and Assyrians used the spice early on, and trade in cardamom opened up along land routes and by the interlinked Persian Gulf route controlled from Dilmun as early as the third millennium BCE Early Bronze Age,[40] into western Asia and the Mediterranean world.

The ancient Greeks thought highly of cardamom, and the Greek physicians

cloves and cinnamon, which was traded with merchants from the Levant with salt and meat products.[26]

In China, Amomum was an important part of the economy during the

Song Dynasty (960–1279).[41] In 1150, the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi noted that cardamom was being imported to Aden, in Yemen, from India and China.[41]

The Portuguese became involved in the trade in the 16th century, and the industry gained wide-scale European interest in the 19th century.[26]

Gallery

  • Black and green cardamom
    Black and green cardamom
  • Cardamom plant (one year old)
    Cardamom plant (one year old)
  • Leaves of cardamom
    Leaves of cardamom
  • Cardamom flowering stems
    Cardamom flowering stems
  • Cardamom flower
    Cardamom flower
  • Pollen grain of Cardamom
    Pollen grain of Cardamom
  • Cardamom fruit and seeds
    Cardamom fruit and seeds
  • Green cardamom pods and seeds
    Green cardamom pods and seeds
  • Jar of green cardamom
    Jar of green cardamom
  • White cardamom pods in a bowl
    White cardamom pods in a bowl
  • Cardamom pods as used as a spice in India
    Cardamom pods as used as a spice in India

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: G. Watt's "The Commercial Products of India: Being an Abridgement of "The Dictionary of the Economic Products of India."" (1908)

Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: T. C. Owen's "Notes on Cardamom Cultivation" (1883)

  1. Cambridge Dictionary
    . Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  2. ISBN 978-3-031-35426-7
    .
  3. ^ a b "Cardamom". Encyclopedia Britannica. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0851996059. Archived
    from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles, "cardamomum", A Latin Dictionary, Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University, archived from the original on 28 September 2021, retrieved 20 February 2021
  6. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert, καρδάμωμον, A Greek-English Lexicon (in Ancient Greek), Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University, archived from the original on 24 October 2021, retrieved 20 February 2021
  7. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert, "κάρδαμον", A Greek-English Lexicon, Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University, archived from the original on 17 October 2021, retrieved 20 February 2021
  8. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert, "ἄμωμον", A Greek-English Lexicon (in Ancient Greek), Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University, archived from the original on 6 April 2022, retrieved 20 February 2021
  9. ^ "ka-da-mi-ja" Archived 15 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine at Palaeolexicon
  10. ^ Chadwick, John, ed. (1963), "The Mycenae Tablets, 3", Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 52, no. 7 (New Series ed.)
  11. ^ Burrow, Thomas; Emeneau, M. B. A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  12. ^ Katzer, Gernot. "Spice Pages: Cardamom Seeds (Elettaria cardamomum)". gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  13. ^ Theophrastus IX.vii.2
  14. ^ "The Uses of Cardamom". Garden Guides. 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Is Cardamom a Spice?". The Spruce Eats. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  16. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00033-X
    .
  17. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
    , Statistical Division (FAOSTAT). 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Nair 2011, p. 267.
  19. ^ a b c d e Kusters & Belcher 2004, p. 136–46.
  20. ^ a b c d Watt 1908, p. 514.
  21. ^ Nair 2011, p. 270.
  22. ^ a b Owen 1883, p. 1.
  23. ^ Watt 1908, p. 516.
  24. ^ Kulkarni, Mahesh (2 September 2013). "Cardamom output to fall for second year in a row". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  25. ^ Krishnakumar, P. K. (6 August 2014). "Cardamom production set to fall 40%". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  26. ^ a b c d Cumo 2013, p. 216.
  27. ^ "Prof. K.M. Chandy – Governor of Gujarat". Raj Bhavan, Gujarat Government. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  28. ^
    USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  29. ^ Karun, Shenoy (21 April 2014). "Kerala cardamom trying to fight off its Guatemalan cousin". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  30. ^ "5.4 Edible plant products". FAO. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  31. ^ Nair 2011, p. 277.
  32. ^ a b Parthasarathy, Chempakam & Zachariah 2008, p. 41.
  33. ^ a b Nair 2011, p. 278.
  34. ^ Giriappa, S. Plantation Economy in India at Google Books
  35. ^ Watt 1908, p. 517.
  36. ^ Nair 2011, p. 267–268.
  37. ^ Bell 1843, p. 387.
  38. ^ "Cardamom, Small Cardamom, Green Cardamom". University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  39. ^ Cumo 2013, p. 215.
  40. ISBN 9048127181
  41. ^
    ISBN 0415927463
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Bibliography
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