Cardamon (large) information

Information for cardamon (large) in our free herbs and spices resources collection.

Cardamon (large)

Cardamom are the dried seed capsules of a small group of species or plants belonging to the family Zingiberaceae which contain seeds possessing a pleasant characteristic aroma and flavour. These are broadly grouped into two categories:

• Small cardamom - popularly known as Chhota Elaichi (Elettaria cardamomum) or the true cardamom. It is also known as ‘Queen of Spices’.
• Large cardamom - Bada Elaichi (Aframomum and Amomum species).

Amomum subulatum Roxb. is the greater Indian or Nepal cardamom which is also called large cardamom. It is a native of the eastern Himalayan region. The presence of several wild relatives viz., A. delbatum, A. aromaticum, A. kinger, A. lingriformi, and A. corynostachium and the tremendous variability within the cultivated species support the view of its origin in Sikkim.

The order Zingiberales (formerly known as Scitamineae) to which the family Zingiberaceae belongs, appears to have originated as wild plants in the tropical evergreen forests. Zingiberaceae, the largest family of this order, is found throughout the tropics but is predominantly Asian. This family has provided important spices which are mostly aromatic, 40 genera and 900 species being recognized. The economically important species which have established themselves as aromatic spices are the genus Zingiber (ginger), Curcuma (turmeric), Alpinia (galanga), Kaempferia, all representing rhizomatous spices, and Elettaria (small cardamom), Amomum and Aframomum (large cardamoms) representing seed spices.

There has been controversy over the grouping of cardamom. After detailed deliberations the ISO (International Standards Organization) has officially recognized nine species under three main groups:

Group I: Elettaria cardamomum
Group II: 4 species of Aframomum
(a) A. augustifolium (Sonn) K.Schum - Madagascar cardamom
(b) A. hanburyi K.Schum - Cameroon cardamom
(c) A. korarima (pereira) Engler - Korarima cardamom
(d) A. melegueta (Roscol) K.Schum - Grains of paradise or Guinea grains.
Group III: 4 species of Amomum
(a) A. aromaticum Roxburgh - Bengal cardamom
(b) A. kepulaga Spraque et - Round cardamom Burkill, Syn. A. cardamom Roxburgh - or Chester cardamom or Siam cardamom.
(c) A. krervanh pierre et Gagnipain - Cambodian cardamom
(d) A. subulatum Roxburgh - Greater Indian cardamom, Nepal cardamom or large cardamom

The Amomum species are known in the North East Indian and South East Asian countries, while the Aframomum species are known in the African regions of Sierra Leone, Guinea Coast, Madagascar and Tanzania. The fruits of the Amomum and Aframomum are much larger in size in comparison with Elettaria cardamomum and it is easy to distinguish them, but the seed size and anatomy are similar in all the three genera. In this chapter, only Amomum subulatum Roxburgh is taken into consideration as large cardamom as it is being cultivated in a larger extent and also due to its position in the trade. Fromnowon, whatever we describe relates only to Amomum subulatumRoxb. (unless otherwise specified).

This species is cultivated in swampy places along the sides of mountain streams in Nepal, Bengal, Sikkim and Assam (eastern Himalayas) and forms one of the cash crops of eastern India. The plants are usually grown along jhoras (small springs), in moist and shady sides of mountain streams and along the hilly slopes, usually at an elevation of 765 to 1675 metres above the mean sea level. The plant is a perennial herb having subterranean rhizomes which give rise to leafy shoots and spikes. The plant matures during the third year of its growth and its height ranges from 1.5 to 3.0 m. Leafy shoots are formed by long sheath-like stalks encircling one another. The leaves are green or dark green, glabrous on both surfaces with acuminate apex. Inflorescence is a dense spike on a short peduncle bearing 40 to 50 flower buds in an acropetal sequence. The fruit is a trilocular many-seeded capsule. The capsule wall is echinated and is reddish brown to dark pink. Harvesting is usually carried out during August to October.

Dried large cardamom capsules are on an average 25 mm long, oval to globose; greyish brown to dark red brown. The fruit contains 40-50 seeds, held together by a viscous sugary pulp. Though the fruits are clearly identifiable by their larger size and differences in shapes compared with small cardamom, the seeds are of nearly the same size as those of true cardamom.

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