Ethnic Spices: Cardamom

June 11, 10:32 PMOmaha Ethnic Restaurants ExaminerMelissa Aden

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Omaha Ethnic Restaurants Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Green Cardamom Pods

Ethnicities that use this spice:
Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Indian, Hebrew, Mexican, Finnish, Chinese, Japanese, Guatemalan, Greek, Roman, Egyptian

Health Benefits:
Cardamom abounds with a long list of health benefits. Mostly prevalent in Asian and Indian medicine, it can be used to fight many infections. It’s used to treat gum and teeth infections, inflammation, and as an antidote for snake and scorpion venom. It can also be used to relieve stomach aches, constipation, and other digestion problems.

Cardamom detoxifies the body of caffeine, cleanses the kidneys and bladder, stimulates metabolism, and cures bad breath. As well, it’s a good spice for those who suffer from asthma, congestion, or tuberculosis as it improves circulation to the lungs. The spice, considered to have aphrodisiac qualities, derives its numerous health benefits from high amounts of oils such as borneol, camphor, eucalyptol, limonene and terpinine.

Overview:
Cardamom isn't just healthy, it's tasty too! Hailing from the ginger family, most people know cardamom from Indian dishes and Chai lattes, but this versatile spice serves as a great addition many different recipes. A spicy-sweet spice, it has a warm, woodsy scent and a unique taste, allowing it to add flare to desserts like rice pudding, cakes, and crème brûlée, and just about any entree and side dish. Add it to you favorite vegetable dish for a twist, or use it in your coffee or late. It’s savory and citric notes also make it a good fit for poultry and seafood.

The only downside of cardamom: it’s pricey as each pod that the spice is derived from must be handpicked. It’s the second most expensive spice. (The most expensive is saffron.)

How to store it:
Whether ground or in pod form, store cardamom in an airtight container. Ground cardamom loses its pungent flavor quickly.

Where to get it:
Cardamom is hard to find, but ground cardamom can be bought at most large grocery stores. For the best flavor, buy the whole pods, remove the seeds, then crack or smash them a bit or freshly grind them before cooking.

Buy cardamom pods online here. The green pods are most versatile and widely used.

Great cardamom recipes:

Gulab Jamin (A delicious Indian dessert)

Meringue Crumbed Cardamon Lemon Panna Cotta with Mixed Berries

Simple Chai Tea

Cardamom Butter Cookies

Cardamom Tea: Lightly boil 3-4 seeds for 2-3 minutes and let steep for 10 minutes.

Check out this informational video on cardamom cultivation.

Click here to see all articles on Ethnic Spices.