Cardamom

Listing ID #4322317

Cardamom refers to herbs within two genera of the ginger family Zingiberaceae, namely Elettaria and Amomum. Both varieties are recognised for their small seedpod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds. Elettaria pods are light green in color, while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown. The word cardamom derives from Latin "cardamomum", the romanization of the Greek "καρδάμωμον" (kardamomon), in turn from "κάρδαμον" (kardamon), "cress" + "ἄμωμον" (amomon), a kind of an Indian spice plant. The earliest attested form of the word kardamon is the Mycenaean Greek ka-da-mi-ja, written in Linear b syllabic script.