This precious and exotic spice is considered versatile for sweet and savory dishes, giving an exotic and warm flavour, between pungent and sweet floral. The aroma of green cardamom is famous, warm and intense, with balsamic and complex notes reminiscent of eucalyptus, citrus fruits and honey. A unique sensorial blend in a single spice, well known in the tradition of European Christmas desserts and oriental dishes. The form of ground cardamom is practical in the kitchen, because it can be easily added to baked goods and to many recipes for first courses, second courses, sauces, desserts and pastry creams.
Green cardamom powder: properties and benefits
Its properties derive from the small seeds contained in the dried pod, oval in shape, and also remain during grinding into powder. The healthiest aspect of green cardamom is its content of natural antioxidant compounds, beneficial for our well-being.
Its best-known action is the digestive one, given that it stimulates regular gastrointestinal motility and promotes the elimination of gas in excess in the stomach and intestines. The use of cardamom is useful for its carminative properties, which counteract abdominal bloating and flatulence, particularly in infusions.
As a stomachic spice it helps to alleviate gastrointestinal disorders such as acidity and stomach pain. Historically, cardamom has been used as a natural remedy for nausea, difficult digestion or during pregnancy.
After meals, the use of cardamom as an effective breath and oral freshener has been around since ancient times. . Furthermore, using cardamom as a food spice means adding flavor in a low-calorie way and encouraging a diet less rich in salt or other fatty condiments, which are harmful for the purposes of a balanced or slimming diet.
A cardamom infusion becomes pleasant and useful in case of cold or cough, to help the fluidity of bronchial secretions. The beneficial virtues of the spice in case of sore throat and airway disorders, help to soothe irritations of the oral cavity. The infusion of cardamom in boiling water promotes the well-being of the throat in morning gargles.
The spice is also historically known for its diuretic capacity, useful against water retention and to help regulate blood pressure. In aromatherapy, the scent of cardamom essential oil is used to manage stress and relax - it seems to stimulate calm and relaxation. The antioxidant compounds present in cardamom promote the protection of cells from damage and help slow down aging processes. For this reason, the spice is considered favorably for the beauty of the skin, used in masks and The infusion of black cardamom and other spices gives valid nutrients, due to the presence of antioxidants and minerals.
In addition, you can use cardamom applied directly to the skin to deeply cleanse and purify it. Some beauty masks include cardamom powder and honey to calm irritation, others combine it with other spices for an astringent scrub.
The nutritional values of green cardamom include minerals (including iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium) and nutrients such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. It contains compounds such as terpenes, which give the plant a particular scent (myrcene, limonene, cineole, menthone).
Using cardamom powder in cooking
For culinary use, the spice can be used in a practical way through the ground version, ready to flavor and aromatize food and drinks. In fact, powdered green cardamom is usually required in recipes for adding to baked goods, batter, sauces, marinades and wherever it is convenient to find the seeds already crushed. As a tempting addition to various foods and drinks, cardamom is a favorite spice in North African and Arab countries, and has been present in Indian cuisine for millennia. It is also very widespread in Northern Europe.
It is used to spice sweet or savory dishes, for its delicate and versatile taste, between sweet and spicy, with floral and minty notes. It becomes a special addition in desserts and aromatic drinks such as tea and coffee.
Savory recipes: the powder is useful as a flavoring for hot and spicy dishes. In the Arab Bedouin and Indian Mughal traditions, cardamom is used in single rice dishes such as mansaf and biryani. The addition of ground green cardamom is excellent in cereals, rice and pasta recipes, and legumes. It is used successfully as an exotic addition to stewed meat, delicate for game, in meatloaves and pâtés. Excellent ground meat for flavoring soups and minesthree, in pies, in the preparation of sauces and purees. Powdered cardamom is practical in baked goods such as bread and rolls, buns, crackers. Also used in felafel and with hummus, it gives particular flavor to yogurt, vegetables, cheeses and sauces.
Sweets: ground cardamom is popular as a flavoring in pastry making, also appreciated for its sweet and pungent flavour. It gives an unmistakable taste to biscuits, sweets and spiced cakes, fruit cakes, custards and jellies. Exquisite in creme brûlées and in combination with chocolate and for Christmas desserts. Typical of Middle Eastern desserts, it adapts well to dried fruit, tropical fruit salads, as a tasty sprinkling for ice creams and desserts.
Drinks: Powdered cardamom is famous for adding its aroma to tea, milk, cider, coffee and hot chocolate. In the Middle East it is used for aromatic drinks such as black tea and Arabic coffee. It is added to milk in the Indian recipe for masala chai (spiced black tea) and in Europe to mulled wine and glogg (Scandinavian spiced hot wine), Scandinavian spiced hot wine; Cardamom is also used in Belgian Trappist beers.
Mixtures: It is added ground as an ingredient in curry, garam masala and baharat. It is also used in the masala chai blend, and among the 4 autumn spices for desserts along with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Drinks: Green cardamom powder is used to flavor tea, milk, mulled wine and cider, coffee and hot chocolate. In the Middle East it becomes a special addition to aromatic drinks such as black tea and Arabic coffee. It is added to milk in the Indian recipe for masala chai (spiced black tea) and in glogg, the Scandinavian spiced hot wine; Cardamom is also used in Belgian Trappist beers.
Infusion: ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom can be used for an herbal tea, leaving it to infuse for about 5 minutes. Or combined with other powdered spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
Apple and cardamom cake
Ingredients: 100 g of 00 flour - 80 g of whole cane sugar - 50 g of soft butter - 1 egg - 2 apples - 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom seeds - 30 g of butter - 40 g of cane sugar chopped almonds - ½ sachet of yeast Preparation
Mix together flour, baking powder and ground cardamom seeds. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the sugar and add the egg, which you have already beaten. Mix everything and add the flour, yeast and cardamom mixture. Add the apples, which you will have prepared: one grated and the other diced.
Mix well and then pour into the mold to bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes. Once removed from the oven, let it cool slightly, garnish with the topping. Melt the butter and sugar in a small pan, and then pour over the surface of the cake. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds to finish the apple and cardamom cake.
Origins and history of cultivation
Green cardamom (or true cardamom) is an aromatic spice that comes from the pods of the Elettaria Cardamomum plant. The plant belongs to the Zingiberaceae family – the same as ginger. It is native to India, the rainforests of Kerala and Sri Lanka; cultivated for centuries in tropical areas such as Malaysia as it grows well in hot and humid climates, up to 20 meters in height. The spice is obtained from green cardamom pods, harvested early (this is why they are green). The pods have an elongated shape and a sage green color, and contain seeds inside – the source of the aroma and flavor. By grinding these dried seeds you obtain green cardamom powder, in its most practical and easy to conserve form. Alternatively, the whole pods are used in cooking, or the seeds are removed to be able to toast them in the oven or on a pan. In the Indian subcontinent the spice has been known for centuries in the kitchen as a flavoring, known locally as "elaichi", as well as for its therapeutic qualities. In Indian cuisine, green cardamom is a component of garam masala, a mixture of spices used as a natural remedy for digestive problems. Its use, in fact, is also known in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. Cardamom arrived in the West in the 4th century. B.C. imported at very high costs, given its origin from the East. In ancient Rome it was used in cooking, as a digestive spice and as a perfume. In the Middle East and then also in Europe, the legend subsequently spread that it was an aphrodisiac spice. Like other spices it was used for the preservation of the deceased in embalming in various cultures.
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