Cardamom - Checklist of spices and condiments used in Indian cuisine - Guide to Women's Self Help Groups SHGs in India

a guide to women's self help groups (SHGs) in India to help in selection of food processing items for linkages in spices production and marketing. this is a documentation guide to inform about spices, pickles and condiments and their ingredients.

Cardamom

Cardamom also known or referred to as cardamon, the world's third most expensive spice by weight, and derived from the Latin  cardamomum, actually is named for several plants. These species belong to similar genera, namely Elettaria and Amomum, both in the Zingiberaceae family, i.e., Ginger!!!

The two genera are native to some regions of South Asia, only in the regions of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan. The two genera are not reported locally in the wild in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Maldives. The crop has been grown in many parts of the world, and India is not the largest producer and exporter of cardamom. The credit goes to Guatemala, surprise of surprises. India is the second largest producer and exporter of cardamom.

The Latin cardamomum, is derived from the Greek Kardamomon, that was a name that was historically given to the plant from India, known as a chosen spice or aromatic plant. Its known from ancient times, also the Mycenaean Greek - ka-da-mi-ia. The modern genus Elettaria, however, is derived from native South Asian words, ilaychi [Hindi], ilaichi [Punjabi], ela [Sanskrit] or ellka or elakai [Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam], elakki [Kannada]. Of course, the word kai is a Dravidian loan-blend for 'vegetable'. There is a slight distinction, though. Elettaria pods are light green, while the larger Amomum pods are dark brown.

Elettaria is commonly known as 'green cardamom' while Amomum is known as 'black cardamom'. There are several variants in Amomum, including brown cardamom, Java cardamom, Bengal cardamom, white cardamom or red cardamom.


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