Cardamom: What It Is, How to Use It and Substitutes
What is cardamom?
Green cardamom comes from Elettaria cardamomum, a perennial from the humid mountain forests of the Western Ghats in southern India. The pods are picked by hand shortly before they ripen and then dried. Inside are small, blackish-brown seeds that hold the aroma. Because the harvest takes so much manual work, cardamom is the third most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla. One of the largest producers today is Guatemala, where a German coffee planter introduced it before the First World War. Black cardamom is a different plant from the Himalayas. Its large, wrinkled pods are dried over open fires and taste smoky and camphor-like.
Flavour and uses
Green cardamom smells fresh, of eucalyptus and lemon, with a warm, sweetish note. In India it goes into masala chai, rice dishes such as Biryani and sweets. On the Arabian Peninsula, coffee is brewed with plenty of cardamom. To see how that tastes, try Gahwa from the Emirates. In Sweden and Finland, ground cardamom flavours yeasted bakes such as kardemummabullar, and in Germany it goes into Lebkuchen and spekulatius biscuits. Crush whole pods lightly before cooking. For baking, take the seeds out and grind them in a mortar; half a teaspoon is enough for a tray.
Buying cardamom: what to look for
Buy whole pods. Ground cardamom loses its aroma within a few weeks of opening. Good pods are bright green, plump and tightly closed. Pale yellow or split pods are old or bleached. At Indian and Middle Eastern grocers, 100 g often costs less than two small jars at the supermarket. You can buy black cardamom there too, but it is not suitable for baking.
Storage and shelf life
Whole pods keep for one to two years in a tightly sealed jar in a cool, dark place. Ground cardamom is noticeably weaker after three to six months, so only grind as much as you need right away. Squeeze a pod between your fingers. If it barely smells any more, it is too old.
What can you use instead of cardamom?
There is no true substitute: no other spice has the same mix of citrus freshness and warmth. For 1 tsp ground cardamom you can use ½ tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp ground ginger, plus a little grated lemon zest in baking. In savoury dishes, a pinch of garam masala, which usually already contains cardamom, will do. One pod equals roughly ⅛ tsp ground cardamom.
