Cardamom is an interesting spice from Asia. Cardamom
comes from a plant in the ginger family.
Cardamom is said to have
grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and in olden times was used as a
perfume, digestive aid and breath freshener.
Cardamom is very expensive
- only saffron and vanilla are more expensive.
It is known as The Queen of Spices
Cardamom is included in
garam masala.
Cardamom comes in green
white or brown - buy the pods and extract the seeds and grind as required - the
best cardamom is green, the white have lost most of their flavour through
bleaching. Brown cardamom has a different flavour.
Its very distinctive –
almost medicinal - flavour – has been described as like eucalypt. It is best to remove the pods from around the
seeds before cooking. You can grind the
seeds to intensify the flavour.
In Arab countries cardamom
is used in sweet and savoury dishes and also to flavour coffee. It is also common in Scandinavian countries –
for instance in Danish pastries.
Cardamom is a
very important
ingredient in curry powders.
Idea – try including a
bruised cardamom pod or two when you are poaching fruit.
Posts about Recipes
using cardamom - spiced glazed baby carrots,
Butter Chicken,
Slow Cooker Beef Curry
BIBLIOGRAPHY - with thanks to Auckland Libraries
Cook's Encyclopaedia
of Spices by Sallie Morris & Lesley Mackley
Discovering
Vegetables, Herbs & Spices by Susanna Lyle
Spice Market by Jane
Lawson
Spicery by Ian &
Elizabeth Hemphill
Spices & Natural
Flavourings by Jennifer Mulherin
Spices by Sophie
Grigson
Spices Condiments and
Seasonings by Kenneth T Farrell
Spices, Salt and
Aromatics in the English Kitchen by Elizabeth David
The Cook's Companion
by Stephanie Alexander
I use a pod or two in my mulled grape juice and it's quite traditional in some puddings both in Asia but even in old fashioned British ones too.
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