To preserve the purple colour of this cardamom, the

Nepalese farmers dry the pods in partial sun. The aromas of purple cardamom are fresher than those of black cardamom, which is dried on a wood fire. The aromas of eucalyptus and menthol are delicious with rice, lentils and fish.

The pods are harvested entirely by hand between September and November.

Tips: To get the best from your purple cardamom grind it roughly with a pestle and mortar to release the full flavours. The husk can be kept or discarded. In Nepal, purple cardamom is used to season the traditional Dal bhat dish, made with white rice (bhat) and a lentil soup (dal). This vegetarian dish is often served with a vegetable curry, and tomato and vegetable achards.

 “The Queen of spices”

Cardamom is one of the most widely used spices in the world. In Europe, it was first used back in the Middle Ages. It was an ingredient used to make hippocras, a spiced red wine.

Green cardamom ( Elletaria cardamomum) black cardamom and purple cardamom (Amomum subulatum) have totally different aromas.

Green cardamom has strong aromas of lemon and camphor whilst black cardamom releases smoked aromas of menthol. Purple cardamom has a fruity smell and notes of eucalyptus.

Green cardamom: (Elettaria cardamomum) initially comes the Cardamom Hills in South-East Kerala, India. Nowadays, green cardamom is mainly grown in Guatemala.

Black cardamom: (Amomum subulatum) is grown in the Himalayas. Once harvested, blackcardamom is dried over wood burning hearths which gives it distinct smokey aromas and woody notes. Its seeds are bigger than those of green cardamom.

White cardamom: is green cardamom that has been blanched to bring out the lemony smell and peppery aromas. It is used to flavour stews, cakes, cold meats and sauces.