Cardamom | elaichi | badi elaichi | choti elaichi | Elettaria caradamomum | elaichi in english | Trashing in cardamom | curing of cardamom | trashing of cardamom

CARDAMOM (ELAICHI)

■ Scientific name- Elettaria caradamomum

■ family- Zingiberaceae

■ Common name- Queen of spice

■ Native- western ghats of south india.

■ It is one of the costelistas spices in the world, surpassed only by saffron.

■ Cardamom sometimes cardamon or cardamum, may be a spice made up of the seeds of several plants within the genera Elettaria and Amomum within the Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. they're recognized by their small seed pods: triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a skinny, papery outer shell and little, black seeds; Elettaria pods are light green and smaller, while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown.

■ Uses

Both sorts of cardamom are used as flavourings and cooking spices in both food and drink, and as a drugs. E. cardamomum (green cardamom) is employed as a spice, a masticatory, and in medicine; it's also smoked.

■ Composition

The content of volatile oil within the seeds is strongly hooked in to storage conditions, but could also be as high as 8%. within the oil are found α-terpineol 45%, myrcene 27%, limonene 8%, menthone 6%, β-phellandrene 3%, 1,8-cineol 2%, sabinene 2% and heptane 2%.

■ Perennial herbaceous plant with underground rhizomes.

■ Cross-pollination occurs.

■ Pollinator: honey bees

■ Large cardamom / Nepalese cardamom / Greater Indian cardamom are nuts of Amomum subulatum, also called Badi Elaichi.

■ The great cardamom is ORIGIN from the eastern Himalayan region.

■ It is perennial and propagates from seeds / pieces of rhizomes.

■ The fruit is a trilocular, many capsules with seeds.

Badi elaichi

[ Image credit by:- Dipositphoto]

■ Depending on the size of the fruit, two varieties are generally recognized: - ○ E. Cardamomum var. Major composed of wild native species. ○ E. Cardamomum var. Minor comprising cultivated types viz. , Mysore, Malabar and Vazhukka (natural hybrid between Mysore and Malabar).

■ Cardamom spreads mainly through seeds and also through suckers.

■ Sowing will take place during the rainy season starting in June.

■ Mulch is an important cultural practice in cardamom.

■ TRASHING: - It consists in removing the old dry shoots of the plant once a year with the onset of the monsoon under the rain cinditine and 2-3 times in a high density plantation with irrigation systems.