Cardamom

Cardamom is considered to be the Queen of Spices. One of the most exotic and highly prized spices, Indian green cardamom or small cardamom has a history as old as human civilization. The dried fruit of herbaceous perennial, green cardamom is grown mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, on the shady slopes of the Western Ghats in India. Warm humid climate, loamy soil rich in organic matter, distributed rainfall and special cultivation and processing methods all combine to make Indian green cardamom truly unique in aroma, flavor, size and color tempting parrot-green. It can be described as slightly sweet, floral, and spicy with citric elements. Large black cardamom or badi elaichi has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic fragrance. Indian large black cardamom is considered to be of premium quality. Black Cardamom plants grow wild in parts of the monsoon forests of the Western Ghats in southern India. This area has become to be known as the Cardamom Hills.