How to Grow Cardamom - TvAgro by Juan Gonzalo Angel
Twitter @juangangel
Cardamom (/ˈkɑrdəməm/), sometimes called cardamon (mostly in the UK)[citation needed], is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India, the largest producer until the late 20th century; Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Nepal, and Pakistan. They are recognised by their small seed pods, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin, papery outer shell and small black seeds.
The German coffee planter Oscar Majus Kloeffer introduced Indian cardamom to cultivation in Guatemala before World War I; by 2000 that country had become the biggest producer and exporter of cardamom in the world, followed by India.[1] Some other countries, such as Sri Lanka, have also begun to cultivate it. Elettaria pods are light green, while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown.
It is the world's third-most expensive spice, surpassed in price per weight only by vanilla and saffron.
The word cardamom is derived from the Latin cardamomum,[2] which is the Latinisation of the Greek καρδάμωμον (kardamomon),[3] a compound of κάρδαμον (kardamon), cress[4] + ἄμωμον (amomon), which was probably the name for a kind of Indian spice plant.[5] The earliest attested form of the word κάρδαμον signifying cress is the Mycenaean Greek ka-da-mi-ja, written in Linear B syllabic script,[6] in the list of flavourings on the Spice tablets found among palace archives in the House of the Sphinxes in Mycenae.[7]
The modern genus name Elettaria is derived from the local name. The root ēlam is attested in all Dravidian languages[8] viz. Kannada elakki [ಏಲಕ್ಕಿ], Telugu yelakulu [యేలకులు], Tamil elakkai [ஏலக்காய்] and Malayalam elakkay [ഏലക്കായ്]. The second element kai means seed or fruit. The Malabar region had historical trade connections and was a prominent area of cardamom cultivation. A related root is also present in Hindi ilaychi [इलायची], Bengali ælachi [এলাচি] and Punjabi ilaichi [ਇਲੈਚੀ] green cardamom. In Sanskrit it was known as ela [एला] or ellka [एल्ल्का]. In Marathi it is commonly known as Velchi [वेलची] or Veldoda [वेलदोडा
Fuente
Juan Gonzalo Angel
tvagro.tv