The Cardamom Spice: Where have you been, and why have I never heard of you?
I was in an “apple pie-making” mood the other day and came across a recipe with typical ingredients or spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom. My first thought was “cardamom,” “what the heck is that?”
It turns out this spice originated in India and is now used worldwide. Cardamom spice can be utilized in both sweet and savory dishes. When working with this spice, they recommend using it in pod form to experience the full flavor. When used in the ground form, it loses some essential oils. Naturally, I will stick with the ground form for ease of use.
I learned the following about cardamom in my limited research
It is the third most expensive spice in the world
This spice comes from the ginger family and is available in black, green, and white varieties.
It is the main component in the chai spice blend.
It has a strong sweet flavor with hints of mint and lemon
It has several health benefits backed by science (Please see the article below)
It took nearly a week to receive this from Amazon, with several delays
Upon receiving the spice from Amazon, my wife and I had to take in the aroma of the spice. I can’t say it was easy to place as it was unique and impossible to describe. I could not make the pie in the picture using cardamom as I didn’t know of its existence at the time. Luckily equal parts Cinnamon and nutmeg will do in a pinch. I guarantee my next apple pie will contain cardamom.