Black cardamom (also known as brown cardamom), like cardamom, is a plant in the family Zingiberaceae. Its pods are used as a spice, in a manner similar to the green Indian cardamom pods, but it has a drastically different flavor so it can not be substituted in the same recipes unless a different flavor is acceptable. Its strong smoky flavor and aroma are derived from the traditional drying procedure, which involves drying over open flames.[1]

There are at least two distinct species of black cardamom: A. subulatum (also known as Nepal cardamom) and A. tsao-ko. Of the two, the pods of A. subulatum are smaller and used primarily in the cuisines of India, while the pods of A. tsao-ko (Chinese:  pinyin: caoguo) are larger and used in Chinese cuisine, particularly the cuisine of Sichuan.

n India, black cardamom seeds are an important component in some versions of garam masala.

In China, the pods are used for long-braised meat dishes, particularly in the cuisine of the central-western province of Sichuan.

Bookmark with:

Deli.cio.us    Digg    reddit    Facebook    StumbleUpon    Newsvine