Nepal Cardamom - Wild Organic Exports

Nepal Cardamom has a fresh and aromatic aroma which is complex in nature. It can be described as slightly sweet, floral and spice having citric elements. Large black cardamom has a strong, unique taste with an intensely aromatic fragrance. Large Cardamom is best stored in pod form because once the seeds are exposed or grounded they quickly lose their flavor. Roughly 2.5 to 3 cm in length, the pod is dark brown to black in color and have a tough, dried and wrinkly skin.

Black cardamom is dried over a smoke fire and therefore has a distinct smoky aroma. The seeds have sweetish, smoky flavor when bitten into. The pods can be used in their whole or split forms while cooking. Nepal Cardamom is often included in Indian sweet dishes and drinks like punches and milled wines. It is used in pickles, especially pickled herring and flavored custard. A stimulant and carminative, it is used curing indigestion and flatulence.

For centuries, families in South Asia have used large cardamom for its smoky flavor in their traditional dishes as a symbol of wealth. Compared with the green variety, large cardamom has a very distinct roasted smell and taste, and brownish color, which originates from an ancient drying method. Nepali black cardamom has a distinct flavor profile due to a specific method of post harvest drying in Bhatti ovens, which explains the roasted smell and taste. The smoky flavor would overwhelm a sweet cake or pudding but in a spice rub for roasted meat or in a full-flavored stew it imparts a smoldering depth no other spice can.