Vietnam is known as a strong country in the spice sector. Currently, Vietnam has 500,000 hectares of spice, along with about 400 enterprises and hundreds of thousands of households in production and export. This is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of production and export of spices such as chili, ginger, or turmeric.
Cardamom also plays an important role. In particular, it is one of the most expensive spices in the world, ranking third after saffron and vanilla.
Cardamom has the scientific name Amomum Repens Sonner, belonging to the family of Ginger (Zingiberaceae). This spice is grown in many countries, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, or South America.
Cardamom – The queen of spices.
This plant ranges from 2 to 3 meters in height. The leaves are about 55 cm long, 6 cm wide, pointed at both ends, smooth on the top. The flowers are white-purple, growing in clusters. The tassel is about 40 cm long. Each short flower stalk contains 3 to 5 flowers.
The flowers and fruit of the cardamom are used as ingredients for medicines. People pick fruits when they start to change color from green to yellow in autumn. Only cardamom plants that are more than 3 years old can be harvested. This work is very elaborate and needs to be done manually. The fruits must be about 70% ripe and carefully selected to avoid damage by insects or fungi. After picking, the fruits are dried in the shade and should be stored in a cool and dry place.
After drying, the stalk will be removed, and then cardamom will be steamed until the outer shell becomes white. The final product can be stored for many years.
Cardamom has a mild and spicy flavor, which is often used in dishes or as an ingredient for desserts. Known as the “queen of spices,” cardamom not only upgrades the flavor of the dish but also brings many health benefits to people.
Studies have shown that this spice contains about 2.4% essential oils with the main components including bomeol, caryophyllene, eucalyptole, carvone, terpinene, humulene, sabinene, pinene, laurelene, camphor, myrtenal, etc.
A study by Texas A&M University in the US has found that cardamom can be viewed as a “superfood” with the ability to support a healthy body and effective fat loss. In addition, cardamom can stimulate appetite and has weight loss and anti-inflammatory effects.
This spice is very popular in Vietnam and many Asian countries. At the same time, it is favored in the culinary culture of the Middle East and Arab.