Cardamom is the dried nearly ripe fruit of a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Ginger family. It is native to India and cultivated in India, Ceylon, and Central America (Guatemala).
Cardamom is sweet, spicy, and highly aromatic. It is available in the pod, as decorticated seeds (i.e., capsule removed), or ground. It is used as a flavoring for breads, buns, pastries, cakes and cookies. It is an essential ingredient of curry powder and is used sparingly in sausage and hamburger seasonings.
Cardamom contains form 2 to 10% volatile oils. The principal flavor constituents are cineole and D-terpinyl acetate.
According to United States standards, the dried seed of cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum (Maton), shall contain not more than 8% of total ash, not more than 3% of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid.
Cardamom and Cardamom Seed
