Cardamom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cardamom |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| True Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
Cardamom is a special spice that comes from the seeds of two types of plants related to ginger. These plants are called Elettaria and Amomum. The seeds grow inside a small pod that looks a bit like a triangle if you cut it open. This pod has a thin, papery outer shell, and inside are tiny black seeds.
The Elettaria type is usually light green and is known as green cardamom or true cardamom. It grows in places like India and Malaysia.
The Amomum type is larger and dark brown, often called black cardamom. You can find it growing in Asia and Australia.
Contents
What is Cardamom Used For?
Cardamom is used in many ways! People use it to add amazing flavor to food and drinks. It's also used as a cooking spice and even in some traditional medicines.
Cardamom in Food and Drinks
Cardamom has a very strong taste and a wonderful smell. Black cardamom can even give a cool feeling, a bit like mint. It's very popular in Pakistani cooking. In countries like Scandinavia, people often use it when they are baking.
Green cardamom is one of the most expensive spices, but you only need a little bit to get a lot of flavor. It's best to keep cardamom in its pod until you're ready to use it. Once the seeds are out or ground up, they quickly lose their strong taste. If you use ground cardamom powder, about one and a half teaspoons is like using ten whole pods.
- In the Middle East, green cardamom powder is used in sweet dishes. It's also a popular flavor for coffee and tea. In Arabic, it's called al-Hayl.
- In some Middle Eastern countries, people grind coffee and cardamom together. They cook this mix in a special oven to make a drink that can be almost half cardamom!
- In South Asia, green cardamom is often found in traditional Pakistani sweets and in Masala chai, which is a spiced tea.
- Black cardamom is sometimes used in a spice mix called garam masala for curries. You might also see it as a garnish on basmati rice. Some people even chew the individual seeds, similar to chewing gum.
- Long ago, in the Middle Ages, cardamom was used to flavor a spiced wine called claret.
Cardamom in Traditional Medicine
Cardamom has been used for a long time in traditional medicine systems.
- In South Asia, green cardamom is often used to help with infections of the teeth and gums. It's also used for problems with the throat, chest congestion, and even some digestive issues.
- Some traditional uses include helping with kidney and gall stones, and even as an antidote for certain snake bites.
- The Amomum type of cardamom is used in traditional Chinese medicine in China, and in Ayurveda in India, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
- For example, a type called Amomum villosum is grown in China, Laos, and Vietnam. It's used in traditional Chinese medicine for stomach-aches, constipation, and other digestion problems. Another type, "Tsaoko" cardamom (Amomum tsao-ko), is grown in Yunnan, China, and northwest Vietnam for both medicine and as a spice.
Since the 1980s, more people have wanted these herbs. Growing cardamom has become an important way for many farmers in higher, remote areas of China, Laos, and Vietnam to earn money.
For a while, Nepal was the biggest producer of large cardamom. But now, Guatemala has become the world's largest producer and exporter of cardamom. In 2007, they exported US$137.2 million worth of it!
Images for kids
-
Cardamom seeds
-
Cardamom fruit and seeds
-
Green cardamom pods and seeds
-
Cardamom-flavored tea, also with cinnamon, is a popular hot drink in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Trinidad and Tobago.
-
Cardamom (Elaichi) from India
-
Chinese drawing and description of cardamom from the Bencao Pinhui Jingyao (1505).
-
A machine used for drying cardamom.
-
Terraced cardamom plants in India.
-
Cardamom is an important crop in Nepal's Terhathum District.
-
A cardamom plant that is one year old.
-
Leaves of the cardamom plant.
-
Cardamom flowering stems.
-
A close-up of a cardamom flower.
-
A jar filled with green cardamom pods.
-
White cardamom pods in a bowl.
-
Cardamom pods used as a spice in India.
_from_India.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Cardamomo para niños
