Green and Black Cardamom: What's the Difference and How to Use Each

Cardamom is one of the world's most prized spices, and the one sold in pods is actually a seed spice. Inside each papery pod are small, sticky black seeds packed with fragrant oil. There are two main kinds in kitchens, and they are not related closely enough to swap freely.

Green cardamom

Green cardamom, from Elettaria cardamomum, is the one most people know. The light green pods hold seeds with a sweet, floral, citrusy and slightly minty perfume. It is used in desserts, tea, coffee, baking and rice dishes across South Asia, the Middle East and Scandinavia. Swedish and Finnish bakers add it to buns and breads, and Arabic coffee is often scented with it.

Black cardamom

Black cardamom, from the Amomum genus, has large, dark, wrinkled pods dried over open fires. That gives the seeds a smoky, resinous flavour with a cooling, camphor-like edge. It is used in savoury dishes only, such as biryani, slow-cooked meats, lentils and Chinese braises. A whole pod is dropped into the pot and removed before serving.

Pods, seeds or ground

Whole pods keep their aroma the longest. For cooking, you can drop a lightly crushed pod into rice, curry or tea, and fish it out later. For baking, crack the pods, scoop out the seeds, and grind them in a mortar. Ground cardamom bought in a jar loses its fragrance quickly, and is often made from whole pods including husks, so grinding fresh is worth the effort.

Put two crushed pods in a pot of rice, simmer them in milk for a creamy chai, stir ground seeds into yoghurt with honey, or add to cake and cookie batters. Cardamom pairs well with cinnamon, ginger, orange, pistachio, rose, coffee and apples. In savoury cooking, it works with cloves, cumin, coriander and chicken.

Nutrition at a general level

You use cardamom in tiny quantities, so it adds flavour rather than meaningful nutrition. It contains small amounts of minerals and aromatic compounds. It is best valued for what it does to a dish.

Buying and storing

Choose plump pods that are still fragrant, with a good colour. Green ones fade to pale straw when old, which means the flavour has also faded. Keep them whole in an airtight container away from light and heat, where they stay good for about a year. Cardamom is expensive, sometimes called the queen of spices, so buying whole pods and using them wisely helps.

Cautions

In food amounts cardamom is considered safe for most people. Large medicinal amounts are a different matter, and people with gallstones are sometimes advised to be careful with concentrated cardamom. If you have a history of spice allergies, try a small amount first. Do not eat the tough pod husks in big pieces, as they are fibrous. Pregnant women should stay with normal food amounts.

This article is general information, not medical advice.