The name Cardamom is used for two herbs related to ginger. Their seeds are used as a spice. The two species are named Elettaria and Amomum. The seeds grow in a small seedpod. This seedpod is triangular in cross-section and has the shape of a spindle. There is a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds. Elettaria pods are light green in color, Amomum pods are larger and dark brown. •Elettaria is commonly known as cardamom, green cardamom or true cardamom. It grows from India to Malaysia. Amomum is usually called black cardamom, or white cardamom. It grows in Asia and Australia. •STORAGE: It is best to store cardamom as whole pods in a sealed container in a cool, dry place. Ground cardamom can be stored similarly, but will quickly lose flavor and aroma and should be used as soon as possible /WHOLE VS. GROUND: Recipes using black cardamom often call for using the whole pod, with the seeds intact. The pods are then discarded after cooking is done as chomping into the whole pod is unpleasant. If you're using green cardamom in a recipe, ideally you'd start with whole cardamom pods /OTHER NAMES FOR CARDAMOM: Elaichi(Hindi, Punjabi), Yelakki(Kannada), Elakka(Malayalam), Elakkayi(Telugu), Yelakka/Ellakai (Tamil) /HOW TO DETERMINE PURITY OF CARDAMOM: Used pods are generally used in green cardamom adulteration. Newer pods will be plum and full, but used ones will be wrinkled and feel empty. By look, fresher pods will have a mellow yet fresh green colour while used pods will be pale green /COOKING WITH CARDAMOM: You can use powdered cardamom directly to recipes that call for it, but flavor is improved if you powder whole pods. Toast green cardamom pods in a dry skillet for a few minutes. Let them cool for a minute and then remove the seeds from the pods. The pods can be added to coffee or tea for flavor. Grind the seeds in a mortar and pestle for best results, or a spice grinder /HEALTH BENEFITS: Cardamom is an exceptional medicinal spice and is known to stimulate our body's metabolism and improves digestion, prevents acid reflux, and gastric disorders. It promotes heart health, oral health and removes bad breath. /
