🇸🇦 Arabicar
هيل أخضر
Hayl akhdar
Western Ghats, Kerala, India
Green Cardamom
11
kg per harvest
from one acre in Kerala's high ranges
3
years to first pod
Elettaria cardamomum matures slowly
60
% of world supply
grown in Guatemala since the 1920s
8
volatile oils
dominated by 1,8-cineole and α-terpinyl acetate
Visual atlas
Profile
Cardamom, sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are recognized by their small seed pods: triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin, papery outer shell and small, black seeds; Elettaria pods are light green and smaller, while Amomum pods are dark brown and larger.
Green cardamom — Elettaria cardamomum — is the dried seed pod of a tall perennial of the ginger family, native to the Western Ghats of Kerala and now also cultivated in Guatemala. The pods are harvested semi-ripe and green, then washed and slowly dried at low heat to preserve the pale-green color that grades the price. Each pod holds ten or more tiny black seeds packed with cineole, terpinyl acetate and linalool, producing the unmistakable eucalyptus-meets-lemon-meets-pine aroma. It anchors Scandinavian pastry, Indian masala chai, Middle Eastern gahwa coffee, Bedouin cardamom-flavored cardamom, and Gujarati sweets. Kerala pods are more aromatic; Guatemalan pods dominate world volume.
Process
01Year 1–3
Rhizome planting
Cardamom grows from rhizome divisions under shade trees on Kerala hillsides above 800 m. No sun, no shortcuts.
02Year 3–4
First flowering
Prostrate panicles emerge from the base, bearing white flowers with violet-striped lips. Hand-pollination improves set.
03Aug–Feb
Staggered harvest
Capsules are picked green by hand — five passes per plant per season, since they ripen unevenly over six months.
04Days 1–2
Blanching
Fresh pods are blanched in water at 75°C for 10 minutes to fix their green colour before drying.
05Days 3–10
Curing in flues
Pods dry slowly in forced-air dryers at 45–50°C. The goal: 12 % moisture, uniform green, no shrivelling.
Inside the berry
The molecules that make it taste like Kampot — and not like anything else.
Green cardamom is unusually rich in essential oil for a seed: 6–10% by weight, dominated by two molecules that read as eucalyptus over white-flower sweetness.
8.0%
Essential oil
average, Kerala AGEB
42%
α-terpinyl acetate
the floral-citrus marker
28%
1,8-cineole
eucalyptus top, varies by origin
8.5%
Moisture
shade-dried whole pods
Volatile compound profile
- α-terpinyl acetate42.3%
Sweet, floral, slightly fruity — the signature green-cardamom note.
- 1,8-cineole28.1%
Cool, eucalyptus, camphoraceous — the piercing top note.
- Linalool5.4%
Lily-of-the-valley, soft floral — rounds the cineole edge.
- Linalyl acetate4.2%
Lavender-bergamot — sweet citrus undertone.
- α-terpineol3.8%
Lilac, woody, gentle — long aromatic tail.
- Sabinene3.1%
Peppery-piney — bright green lift.
- Myrcene1.6%
Resinous, herbaceous — supports the terpene base.
Versus other peppers
| Pepper | Piperine | Oil |
|---|---|---|
★ Green Kerala (AGEB) India · shade-dried, alpha-terpinyl acetate dominant | 42% | 8.0% |
Green Guatemala Cobán · slightly higher cineole, bigger pods | 38% | 7.2% |
Green Tanzania Usambara · sharper, more cineole | 34% | 6.5% |
Black Nepal Amomum subulatum · 70%+ cineole, smoky | — | 2.8% |
Black Sikkim A. subulatum · GI-tagged, deeper smoke | — | 3.2% |
Cuisines
How the world cooks with it.
4 signature dishes
Cardamom is the heart of Indian cooking — sweet and savoury, North and South — and the soul of every cup of masala chai.
- Masala chaigrade: kerala
Crushed green pods steeped with black tea, milk, ginger and pepper — the cardamom is what people remember.
- Hyderabadi biryanigrade: kerala
Whole pods layered into the dum — they perfume the rice without ever being chewed.
- Gulab jamungrade: kerala
Cardamom and rose syrup — the floral pair that defines North-Indian sweets.
- Garam masalagrade: kerala
Ground green pods are the lifted, sweet face of the blend.
Around the world
What it's called, from Phnom Penh to Palermo.
🇧🇩 Bengalibn
এলাচ
Elach
🇨🇳 Chinesezh
小豆蔻
Xiǎo dòukòu
🇳🇱 Dutchnl
Groene kardemom
🇬🇧 Englishen
Green cardamom
🇫🇷 Frenchfr
Cardamome verte
🇩🇪 Germande
Grüner Kardamom
🇮🇱 Hebrewhe
הל ירוק
Hel yarok
🇮🇳 Hindihi
इलायची
Elaichi
🇮🇩 Indonesianid
Kapulaga hijau
🇮🇹 Italianit
Cardamomo verde
🇯🇵 Japaneseja
カルダモン
Karudamon
🇰🇷 Koreanko
카르다몸
Kareudamom
🇲🇾 Malayms
Buah pelaga hijau
MLml
ഏലം
Elam
🇮🇷 Persianfa
هل سبز
Hel-e sabz
🇵🇱 Polishpl
Kardamon zielony
🇵🇹 Portuguesept
Cardamomo verde
🇷🇺 Russianru
Зелёный кардамон
Zelyonyy kardamon
SIsi
එනසාල්
Enasal
🇪🇸 Spanishes
Cardamomo verde
🇸🇪 Swedishsv
Grön kardemumma
🇮🇳 Tamilta
ஏலக்காய்
Elakkay
🇹🇭 Thaith
กระวาน
Krawan
🇹🇷 Turkishtr
Yeşil kakule
🇵🇰 Urduur
الائچی
Elaichi
🇻🇳 Vietnamesevi
Bạch đậu khấu
Pairings
Protein
- Lamb biriyani
- Scallops
Sweet
- Kulfi & rice pudding
- White chocolate
- Poached pears
Drink
- Chai & filter coffee
Substitutes
- Black Cardamom55% match· soon
- Allspice40% match· soon
- Fennel Seed35% match· soon
Frequent questions
Guatemala grows Elettaria cardamomum in the Alta Verapaz highlands at 1,400 m, producing larger, paler pods with a slightly milder, more eucalyptus-forward profile. Indian cardamom — especially Idukki district, Kerala — is smaller, denser, and carries a more complex sweet-spicy finish prized in Ayurvedic cooking.