Cardamom

Cardamom: Elettaria cardamomum, Green Indian Cardamom, True Cardamom, Elaychi, Lila alchi.

We offer green cardamom, grown in rain forests, from India. The green seed pods of the plant are dried and the seeds inside the pod are used in Indian and other Asian cuisines either whole or in a ground form. It is the most widely cultivated species of cardamom. Cardamom is an ingredient in many Indian curries, and is a primary contributor to the flavour of masala chai. In the Middle East and Iran, cardamom is used to flavour coffee and tea. In Turkey, it is used to flavor the black Turkish tea (Kakakule in Turkish).

Cardamom plants are very sensitive to insects. Conventional cardamom is easy to grow with high yield by using chemical pesticide. Organic cardamom, without pesticide, has very low yield. Hence organic cardamom pods are picked early in the harvest to protect against insects. Organic green cardamom pods have small seeds and less flavor and aroma since pods are picked early in the harvest. Conventionally grown Cardamom pods have larger seeds and more aroma since pods can be protected by pesticide. One has to make choice between chemical pesticide and mild flavor. If you want strong flavor and don't care for chemicals, go for the conventional cardamom.