As old as civilization itself, cardamom always has been and still is one of the world’s most expensive spices. During the end of the Middle Ages, in the late 16th century, when the price of all spices was sky high, cardamom was among the costliest. A handful of cardamom pods cost the equivalent of a poor man’s yearly salary—and prosperous Europeans paid it gladly, because of cardamom’s special medicinal and culinary value. No wonder it’s known as the “Queen of Spices.” (Pepper is King.)
Cardamom’s delicately pleasant, one-of-a-kind aroma and flavor is derived from its rich and varied content of more than 25 volatile oils, plant compounds that impart fragrance. And the most medicinally active of the oils is the antioxidant cineole (which is also found in bay leaf).
In the traditional medicines of the East, cardamom has been used to treat an impressive variety of health problems, including heart disease, respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis, colds, and flu, and all forms of digestive problems, from bad breath and colic to constipation and diarrhea.
After centuries of use in traditional medicine, the 20th century saw the first scientific research into the health benefits of cardamom. In 1978, the Indian Cardamom Research Institute was established, which later became the Indian Institute of Spices Research.
Today, medical research on cardamom and cineole is conducted worldwide, although the majority of studies are still from India. Here’s the best of what researchers are discovering:
Digestive Relief
Cardamom’s stomach-soothing ability is legendary. But it wasn’t until recently that studies started to show why it works. In the last 20 years, dozens of studies have shown that the volatile oils in cardamom are powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic agents that can work together to improve digestion.
Calming the gut. For example, a study by a team of researchers in Saudi Arabia showed that volatile oils in cardamom may calm the gut by blocking receptors on cells that regulate muscle contraction. And a team of Indian researchers discovered that cardamom acted like cholinergic and calcium antagonist drugs: cholinergic drugs stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for salivation, digestion, and muscle relaxation; calcium antagonist drugs also relax muscles, by affecting the movement of calcium into and out of muscle cells.
Beating bad breath. Cineole is an antiseptic that kills bacteria that can cause bad breath.
Stopping ulcers. Several studies show cineole can slow or stop the development of aspirin-induced and alcohol-induced stomach ulcers in laboratory animals.
Preventing colon cancer. Animal research in India shows that cardamom can fight colon cancer cells several ways—reducing the inflammation that fuels cancer growth, stopping cancer cells from dividing, and killing cancer cells.
Cardamom for Cardiac Ills
Several studies show that cineole helps protect the cardiovascular system by:
Lowering blood pressure. In a study reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, cardamom lowered blood pressure in laboratory animals—the greater the dose, the greater the drop. The same study showed cardamom worked like a diuretic, a type of drug used to treat hypertension.
Preventing blood clots. Heart attacks and strokes are often caused by blood clots that block an artery. Indian researchers tested cardamom extract on human platelets, the structures in blood that stick together and form clots. The spice decreased platelet aggregation, the platelets’ ability to adhere to one another to create a clot.
Cardamom may help prevent and/or treat:
Asthma
Bad breath
Blood clots
Colic
Colon cancer
Constipation
Diarrhea
Heart disease
High blood pressure
(hypertension)
Indigestion
Sinusitis
Stomachache
Ulcer
Breathing Easier
Just as cardamom can relax the gut, it can also relax the airways, restoring breathing in people with respiratory ills.
German researchers
Easing severe asthma. studied 32 people with severe asthma who were dependent on anti-inflammatory steroid drugs, dividing them into two groups. One group added a supplement of cineole to their drug regimen; the other group didn’t. After two months, those taking cineole reduced their need for steroids by 36 percent, compared to 7 percent for the non-cineole group. “Long-term therapy with cineole has a significant steroid-saving effect in steroid-dependent asthma,” concluded the researchers in Respiratory Medicine.
Clearing up a sinus infection. Two German studies have found that cineole offers relief for sinus infection. In one, 152 people with acute sinus infections were asked to take either cineole (two 100-milligram capsules, three times a day) or a placebo. After just four days, those taking cineole had fewer headaches, less sinus pain, and less nasal secretion and obstruction. “Timely treatment with cineole is effective and safe,” concluded the researchers in Laryngoscope. In fact, they recommend those with an acute sinus infection take a supplement of the spice extract before trying antibiotics.
In a similar study involving 150 people with acute sinus infections, researchers once again found that treatment with cineole relieved sinus headache, eased tender sinuses, reduced nasal secretions, and decreased nasal obstruction. Treatment with the spice extract is “clinically relevant,” concluded the researchers.
Getting to Know Cardamom
India is the land of cardamom—for millennia, spice traders searched the mountainous rainforests of the Cardamom Hills in southern India, looking for precious pods growing wild on the roots of cardamom bushes.
The early Romans loved the Indian spice and imported it in vast quantities. They used it as many people in India still use it today—as Mother Nature’s toothbrush. Cardamom cleans the teeth and freshens the breath. In fact, it is one of the few substances that will help you dissipate “garlic breath” after eating a heavily spiced meal.
Today, cardamom is most popular in the cooking of India, Iran, Morocco, and the Arab nations. In Arabian cooking, it imparts a sweet aroma to savory curries and other dishes. It is a key ingredient in the Moroccan spice mix ras-el-hanout and the well-known Indian mix garam masala. It is also used in Indian sweets called halva, and in puddings, yogurt, custards, and ice cream. It gives the distinctive bouquet to India’s popular yogurt-based stews called kormas and rice dishes called biryanis. It is an important ingredient in the Indian hot spiced tea called chai masala, which in recent years has gained popularity in the US.
The best cardamom comesfrom the rainforests of southernIndia, where the pod is producedby a six-foot shrub.True Cardamom and False CardamomThere is Chinese brown cardamom. Thai green cardamom. Nepal or large cardamom. Java cardamom . . . and on and on. But they are all “false” cardamom. There is only one true cardamom—green cardamom, the Queen of Spices, the culinary spice universally referred to simply as cardamom.
India, however, has a second cardamom that’s somewhere between true and false—brown (or black), disparagingly called “bastard” cardamom. It is an integral spice in some of India’s most famous dishes, including those that are part of its famous tandoori cuisine, named after the tandoor, the in-ground oven in which it’s made. Brown cardamom is the key spice that gives the distinct taste and texture to the Indian specialties chicken tikka and butter chicken. It is sometimes added to rice dishes called biryanis, as well as to many other dishes.
The only place you’re likely to come across brown cardamom is in an Indian market, a specialty spice retailer, or online. It is only sold in pods, which are similar in texture to green cardamom but tan in color and twice the size. The pods are slightly dull and dusty in appearance.
The first encounter with brown cardamom pods is a culinary adventure. When you open a brown cardamom pod you will find gooey seeds in a sticky membrane. When you remove them they stick together, as well as to your fingers. The way to work with them is to transfer the seeds to a mortar and pestle with other dry spices, which will absorb the stickiness. You can then add them to other spices.
Brown cardamom has not been studied for its medicinal value, but it is in the same family as green cardamom and possesses some of the same volatile oils. It also has a flavor similar to eucalyptus. It doesn’t demand nearly the same price as green cardamom—about a third of the cost of green cardamom pods that can sell for upward of $30 a pound. (In Indian markets the cost is much less.)
As popular as cardamom is in cooking, 80 percent of the world’s cardamom is used by the Arab-speaking nations to make coffee. It is a custom in Arab homes to serve cardamom-flavored coffee calledgahira to guests as a sign of hospitality and generosity. The technique is simple: Push a cardamom pod into the narrow of the coffeepot spout and pour. When the hot liquid passes through the pod, it gives the coffee a refreshing taste. Cardamom is also the flavor that has gained Turkish coffee an international reputation.
The Vikings introduced cardamom to Scandinavia, where it is almost as popular as it is in South Asia and the Middle East. In Sweden, Denmark, and Finland it’s mostly used to flavor cakes, sweet breads, pastries (it’s what makes a Danish a Danish!), and pickled fruits and vegetables. It is also used to flavor glögg, a hot spiced wine popular during the cold winters of Sweden.
In Germany, kardamom is a popular spice for making Christmas sweets, especially the popular cookie call lebkuchen.
How to Buy Cardamom
The ground cardamom or cardamom seeds you find in the spice aisle of your grocery store appear neither exotic nor out of the ordinary (except, perhaps, for the price). Cardamom pods, however, are a different story, and you won’t find them in your typical supermarket. You have to go to an Indian market, a specialty spice shop, or an online retailer.
Both the pods and seeds are used in cooking. The best quality pods are small, with a gnarly oval shape and a paper-like husk. They are lime green in color. Look for pods with a vivid, even color; they shouldn’t be pale or bleached. Avoid pods that are split open at the corners, which indicates that they were harvested late and will have lost some of their volatile oils. “White” cardamom pods are green pods that have been bleached, a custom started and favored by the English. Spice connoisseurs prefer the green pods.
Cardamom pairs well with these spices:
Allspice
Almond
Cardamom
Chile
Cinnamon
Clove
Coriander
Cumin
Fennel seed
Ginger
Mustard
Star anise
Turmeric
and complements recipes featuring:
Chicken
Citrus fruit
Custards
Ice creams
Lamb
Nuts
Pudding
Rice
Tropical fruit,
especially mango
___________________________________
Other recipes containing cardamom:
Apple Pie Spice
Baharat
Berbere
Chesapeake Bay Seafood Seasoning
Garam Masala
Los Banos Low-Fat Brownies
Ras-el-hanout
Spicy Vanilla Rice Pudding
If you can’t find pods, buy seeds rather than ground cardamom. The volatile oils in cardamom seeds are sensitive—their pleasant aroma dissipates quickly after exposure to the air (in fact, the aroma starts to fade as soon as the seeds are removed from the pod). When you buy seeds, you can help retain flavor by grinding them only as needed.
Green cardamom seeds are actually brown in color but they’re called green cardamom (or simply cardamom) after the pod in which they come. They should feel slightly oily to the touch and have a scent resembling eucalyptus, with a hint of mint and pepper.
The best cardamom comes from the rainforests of southern India, where the pod is produced by a six-foot shrub with yellow and blue flowers. Cardamom is also cultivated in Thailand and Central America. The majority of the cardamom imported into the US comes from Guatemala, with most of the rest from India and Sri Lanka.
Intact cardamom pods will keep for two years in an airtight container away from sunlight. Seeds will keep up to a year under the same conditions. Ground cardamom has a shelf life of about six months.
In the Kitchen with Cardamom
If you’ve never smelled a cardamom pod, you haven’t experienced the spice’s true aroma. It is refreshingly astringent and pleasant to the palate. As a spice, it is quite versatile and can go with almost any sweet or savory dish.
Pods are best used in savory dishes based in liquid. Many ethnic recipes call for using a bruised cardamom pod. To bruise a pod, gently thump it with a rolling pin or put it under the flat end of a butcher’s knife and give it a gentle push. Bruising releases the oils, allowing their flavors to meld with the other ingredients. For recipes calling for whole seeds, bruising helps release their oils as well. At the end of the cooking, you should discard pods, but not seeds.
Ground cardamom is best for sweet dishes. Use sparingly, however, as it tends to be pungent.
Cardamom is a key ingredient in many traditional spice mixes, so consider using it when making your own mixes.
Here are some ways to get more cardamom in your diet:
• Spice your morning coffee as is the custom in many Arab-speaking countries. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of putting a bruised pod in the neck of a formal coffee pot, drop a crushed pod or two in the brewed pot from your coffeemaker and strain the coffee into your mug or cup. Consider one pod per two cups of coffee.
• Put one or two bruised cardamom pods in the liquid when making rice, or add a pinch of ground cardamom to rice pilaf.
• Sprinkle ground cardamom and a little sugar on grapefruit.
• Add a half teaspoon of ground cardamom to gingerbread or chocolate cake recipes.
• Add crushed cardamom seeds to Bananas Foster and other sweet fruit desserts.
• Add a teaspoon of ground cardamom to your vanilla cupcake recipe and vanilla pie fillings.
• Rub cardamom on a lamb roast before putting it on a spit.
Spiced Milk TeaKnown as chai masala or simply chai, this spiced beverage, which is sold by chai wallahs (tea vendors) all over India, is now popular worldwide. Although you can find chai blends in the supermarket, you can create a much better flavor and experience by making your own.
10 cardamom pods or ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 one-inch cinnamon stick
4 white peppercorns
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 cups low-fat milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups water
4 bags black tea
1. Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and discard the pods. Dry roast the cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and fennel seeds in a hot skillet until they release their fragrance, about five minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Put them in a spice grinder or mini food processor and grind to a fine powder.
2. Put the milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the ground spices, brown sugar, and ginger.
3. Heat the water in another pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and steep the tea bags for three minutes. Pour the tea into the milk mixture and simmer one minute. Let the chai rest for a few minutes. Strain and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire