Editing Cardamom (section)

== Uses ==
{{Cookbook}}

Both forms of cardamom are used as flavorings and cooking spices in food and drink. ''E. cardamomum'' (green cardamom) is used as a spice, a [[wikt:masticatory|masticatory]], or is smoked.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gardenguides.com/127456-uses-cardamom.html |title=The Uses of Cardamom |publisher=Garden Guides |date=2017-09-21 |access-date=2018-05-29 |archive-date=22 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022154003/http://www.gardenguides.com/127456-uses-cardamom.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Cardamom (Kerala, India).jpg|thumb|Intact and opened cardamom pods, showing the seeds (20mm [[Indian 1-rupee coin]] for scale)]]

===Food and beverage===
[[File:“Spiced” Tea – Flavoured by Cinnamon and Cardamom, Comilla, Bangladesh, 26 April 2014.jpg|thumb|Besides use as flavourant and spice in foods, cardamom-flavoured tea, also flavoured with [[cinnamon]], is consumed as a hot beverage]]

Cardamom has a strong taste, with an aromatic, resinous fragrance. Black cardamom has a more smoky – though not bitter – aroma, with a coolness some consider similar to mint.{{Who|reason=The article does not say who considers cardamom similar to mint, claiming it's "some".|date=February 2023}}

Green cardamom is one of the most expensive spices by weight,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-cardamom-765160|title=Is Cardamom a Spice?|website=The Spruce Eats|access-date=2019-01-29|archive-date=30 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130053606/https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-cardamom-765160|url-status=live}}</ref> but little is needed to impart flavor. It is best stored in the pod, as exposed or ground seeds quickly lose their flavor. Grinding the pods and seeds together lowers both the quality and the price. For recipes requiring whole cardamom pods, a generally accepted equivalent is 10 pods equals {{frac|1|1|2}} teaspoons (7.4 ml) of ground cardamom.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Cardamom is a common ingredient in Indian cooking. It is also often used in [[baking]] in the [[Nordic countries]], in particular in [[Sweden]], [[Norway]], and [[Finland]], where it is used in traditional treats such as the Scandinavian Yule bread {{lang|gmq|Julekake}}, the Swedish {{lang|sv|kardemummabullar}} sweet bun, and Finnish sweet bread {{lang|fi|[[pulla]]}}. In the [[Middle East]], green cardamom powder is used as a spice for sweet dishes, and as a traditional flavouring in coffee and tea. Cardamom is used to a wide extent in savoury dishes. In some Middle Eastern countries, coffee and cardamom are often ground in a wooden mortar, a {{Transliteration|ar|[[mihbaj]]}}, and cooked together in a skillet, a {{Transliteration|ar|mehmas}}, over wood or gas, to produce mixtures with up to 40% cardamom.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

[[File:Cardamom_(Elaichi)_from_India.jpg|thumb|Cardamom (Elaichi) from India]]

In Asia, both types of cardamom are widely used in both sweet and savoury dishes, particularly in the south. Both are frequent components in such spice mixes as Indian and Nepali [[Masala (spice)|masalas]] and Thai curry pastes. Green cardamom is often used in traditional [[Indian sweets]] and in ''[[masala chai]]'' (spiced tea). Both are also often used as a garnish in basmati rice and other dishes. Individual seeds are sometimes chewed and used in much the same way as chewing gum. It is used by confectionery giant [[Wrigley Company|Wrigley]]; its Eclipse Breeze Exotic Mint packaging indicates the product contains "cardamom to neutralize the toughest breath odors". It is also included in aromatic bitters, [[gin]], and [[herbal tea]]s.

In Korea, Tavoy cardamom (''[[Amomum villosum|Wurfbainia villosa]]'' var. ''xanthioides'') and red cardamom (''[[Amomum tsao-ko|Lanxangia tsao-ko]]'') are used in tea called {{Transliteration|ko|[[jeho-tang]]}}.

===Composition===
The [[essential oil]] content of cardamom seeds depends on storage conditions and may be as high as 8%. The oil is typically 45% [[α-terpineol]], 27% [[myrcene]], 8% [[limonene]], 6% [[menthone]], 3% [[β-phellandrene]], 2% [[1,8-cineol]], 2% [[sabinene]] and 2% [[heptane]]. Other sources report the following contents: 1,8-cineol (20 to 50%), α-terpenylacetate (30%), sabinene, limonene (2 to 14%), and [[borneol]].{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

In the seeds of round cardamom from Java (''Wurfbainia compacta''), the content of essential oil is lower (2 to 4%), and the oil contains mainly 1,8-cineol (up to 70%) plus [[β-pinene]] (16%); furthermore, [[α-pinene]], α-terpineol and [[humulene]] are found.<ref>Anwar, Farooq; Abbas, Ali; Alkharfy, Khalid M. and Gilani, Anwar-ul-Hassan (2015).  "Cardamom (''Elettaria cardamomum'' Maton) Oils". In Victor R. Preedy, (Ed.) [https://books.google.com/books?id=uNDUBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA295 ''Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630120842/https://books.google.com/books?id=uNDUBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA295 |date=30 June 2023 }}. Amsterdam: Academic Press. Chapter 33. pp. 295–301. {{ISBN|978-0-12-416641-7}}. {{doi|10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00033-X}}.</ref>