Cardamom Pods are the dried fruit of a plant in the ginger family. Inside each pod are small, dark, aromatic seeds. This product is Green Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), the most common variety, prized for its use in both sweet and savoury cooking.
Green Cardamom has a very complex, strong flavour. It is intensely aromatic, sweet, and spicy, with notes of mint, citrus, and a subtle smokiness. A little goes a very long way.
You can use them in two ways: 1) Lightly crush the whole pod and add it to curries, rice pilafs, or mulled wine to infuse the dish, then remove the pod before serving. 2) For a stronger flavour, break open the pod, remove the small black seeds, and grind them.
The pod protects the seeds, which hold all the flavour. Once the seeds are ground, their volatile oils evaporate quickly, and the flavour fades. Whole pods are far more potent and stay fresh for years, while ground cardamom loses its flavour in months.
They are not interchangeable. Green Cardamom (this product) is sweet, floral, and complex, used in chai, lattes, baking, and curries. Black Cardamom is a different species; it's larger, smokier, and more savoury, used almost exclusively in hearty, rustic stews and meat dishes.
It is not recommended to eat the whole papery pod, as it is very fibrous and woody, and the flavour is unpleasantly strong. Pods are typically used for infusion and then discarded, or the inner seeds are removed and ground.
