Cardamom

Cardamom, also called Cardamon or Cardamum, is a spice that is native to the Indian sub-continent and Indonesia. The term cardamom is used for the pods of the plants that belong to two genres; Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae.

There are two main types of Cardamom, namely, Black Cardamom (Amomum subulatum) and Green Cardamom or true cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). White cardamom is the bleached version of Green cardamom. Although Green cardamom is the most available variety it fetches a higher price in the global spice markets.

The spice is often available in its whole fruit form as pods, that are spindle-shaped and have a triangular cross-section. Elettaria cardamomum, the light green variety of Cardamom is exported mainly by the Sri Lankan cardamom exporters to the global market. Producing 4000 to 5000t per annum, Sri Lanka serves around 0.1% of the global demand for Cardamom.

Due to the unique flavour of green cardamom cultivated in Sri Lanka, formed by the country’s unique terroir, green cardamom produced in Sri Lanka is known as Ceylon Cardamom.

Available as whole pods, seeds, ground cardamom powder, and essential oil, Ceylon Cardamom has many uses. Green Cardamom is the third most expensive spice in the world and is widely used as a spice and an additive in the food and beverage industry and as an ingredient in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and alternative medicine industries.