When I was growing up, biting into a cardamom pod was a semi-common occurrence. I mean, I wasn’t supposed to bite into it. But when you’re a child eating biriyani or payasam, it’s bound to happen. And it’s okay. Despite my intense encounters with cardamom, I took to the spice from an early age. And with experience being the best teacher, I soon learned how to avoid those pod bites that interrupt an otherwise pleasant eating experience. Ever since then, it has been a spice I always look forward to.
Cardamom is known as the queen of my heart. “Carda” (like “cardia” in cardiology) means heart, and “mom” is basically another word for queen. So cardamom is the queen of my heart. Just kidding!!! That is not true at all. Whoever is reading this. Take a moment and remember, the internet is full of lies. Cardamom is only the queen of my heart because it’s my favorite spice. And that is that.
Cardamom is in fact known as the queen of spices! And for good reason. She fancy. She’s one of the most expensive spices in the world! She’s a beaut and oh so fragrant. Cardamom is actually related to ginger and turmeric (and side note, if you didn’t know, turmeric is like ginger’s fraternal twin — just take a look at it when it’s fresh and you’ll see!). It’s a warming spice and therefore pairs well with a lot of those other spices. But like with all good things, you cannot overdo it with cardamom. Otherwise, its powerful essence will overthrow the flavor profile of a dish.
Green vs. Black
GREEN CARDAMOM is, well, green and less than a half inch in length. It has a sweet, strong, warming flavor and fragrance with a piney/menthol-esque fruitiness about it. It works very well with both savory and sweet dishes. This is why I often encountered them in both biriyani and payasam growing up. Green cardamom can be used both with just the seeds in the pods and also with keeping the seeds fully in the pod. The seeds hold all the flavor, while the pods are mostly a fibery casing. In spice blends, it’s common to keep the cardamom in the pods as the outer shell doesn’t take away from the overall flavor one bit. If you do remove the seeds from the pods, feel free to pop those empty pods into sugar or dry tea if you want cardamom-inspired sweetener or tea later on!
BLACK CARDAMOM is actually dark brown and larger in comparison to its green friend above. It typically is used in more savory dishes and holds a smokier yet slightly cool/mint-esque flavor and scent. Added bonus, as I was doing a deep dive, I learned that black cardamom is less expensive than green. But it’s less versatile in that it is more useful in only savory applications, whereas green can blend right into both savory and sweet (like Strawberry Cardamom Cheesecake or Golden Milk).
My personal favorite of the two is green. But that’s only because I am in love with it. I kinda want to make a necklace with it and wear it everywhere and walk in the glory of its scent. But I also really enjoy the unique flavor black cardamom lends.
At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with bringing cardamom into your kitchen. Your tastebuds and nostrils will be so happy.
