Green Cardamom "Intense" - Guatemala

What is cardamom?

I propose you a green cardamom from Guatemala which will surprise you by its power. It is not by chance that it is called aromatic cardamom or queen of spices. The cardamom comes from a plant of the family Zingiberaceae. This name may not mean anything to you, but it is from this family that several species that you know very well like ginger or turmeric come. It comes in the form of capsules or pods filled with small black seeds, they are the ones that have a gustatory interest. Do not confuse green cardamom with black cardamom, which is mainly used in savory dishes in Indian and Chinese cuisine. Good to know: many pronounce "cardamom". However, it has been proven that writing with an N is wrong, we do not speak of cardamom, but cardamom.

What is the flavor of cardamom?

The green cardamom has first of all a powerful smell which is not without reminding at the same time the camphor, the citrus fruits, the eucalyptus and the conifers. To the taste, it brings a wind of freshness with notes of lemon and pine sap, even pepper. Cardamom is what we call an economical spice. The strength of its taste encourages you to measure it out perfectly so as not to mask the other ingredients.

The harvest of cardamom

Green cardamom grows on a perennial aromatic plant with rhizomes, the cardamom tree. It flourishes in South America, particularly in Guatemala. However, it can also be found in India, in the region of Kerala, we then evoke the Malabar cardamom. This spice has been used in this country for a long time, we find traces of it in the XXXth century BC. But let's go back to the harvest of cardamom. In Guatemala, the harvest takes place between October and January, when the pods are mature. We can recognize this state by the stripes that are drawn on the green capsule. Harvesting is done by hand so as not to damage the fruit, which is then dried.

How to use cardamom ?

The queen of spices is also the queen of your recipes. Unlike black cardamom, it can be used in both sweet and savory recipes to bring a breath of freshness and an incredible pep to even the most basic recipes.

Our recipe ideas with cardamom

Cream of pumpkin soup with cardamom

Brown shallots in an oiled pan and add small pieces of squash. Add milk, vegetable stock and water to the top. Add salt, pepper and cardamom seeds. Blend to obtain a smooth soup. Add a teaspoon of fresh cream.

Curry of gambas, coconut milk and cardamom

Collect the cardamom seeds. Chop some garlic, grate some ginger and mix these two ingredients. Cut a chilli into small pieces after removing the seeds. Brown an onion in a frying pan and add the ginger/garlic mixture, turmeric, cardamom seeds and chilli. Add green cotton juice and coconut milk and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until the sauce has absorbed the different flavors. Add the prawns and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

Vanilla cardamom ganache

If you like to make macaroons (and eat them!), I invite you to make a cardamom ganache. Bring milk to a boil with honey, a split vanilla bean and cardamom seeds taken from the pods. Pour in batches over white chocolate that you have melted in a bain-marie. Then add cold cream. Mix the whole to obtain a homogeneous cream and put in the cold until the next day. Whip the ganache and fill your macaroon shells.

The health benefits of cardamom

Used as a spice, but also as a perfume ingredient, cardamom has been recognized for centuries for its virtues. As early as 20 to 40 AD, Dioscorides considers this spice as a medicinal plant with digestive virtues (it helps in case of diarrhea, colic, etc.). In South Asia, it is appreciated for its ability to relieve toothache and gum disease, but also to treat throat problems and congested lungs. Cardamom is stimulating and euphoric, it is even believed to have euphoric virtues like ginger, which, remember, belongs to the same family.

The conservation of the cardamom

I advise you to keep the cardamom pods in a dry place away from light.