Suppliers of Cardamom from Guatemala, Cardamom Seeds and Oil



 Interesting Facts...
  Humans were using spices in 50,000  BC. The spice trade developed throughout the Middle East in around 2000 BC with cinnamon and pepper, and in East Asia (Korea, China) with herbs and pepper.

  In the 18th century, Holland had such a fiercely guarded monopoly on the clove trade that the government made growing or selling cloves outside its colony of Amboina, in Indonesia, a crime punishable by death. The Chinese were said to use them as far back as 226 BC. Apparently they chewed the flowerettes prior to having an audience with the Emperor so that their breath would not smell bad.

Cardamom is used to break up kidney stones and gallstones, and was reportedly used as an antidote for both snake and scorpion venom. Guatemala is the largest producer of cardamom in the world with an average yield of between 25 thousand to 29 thousand metric tons annually.

Vanilla is the only edible fruit of the orchid family, the largest family of flowering plants in the world

The early term for "merchant" in Austronesian is *dagang (Dempwolff) and this word is very similar to one of the terms for "ocean."

Columbus' far-fetched proposal to reach the East Indies by sailing westward received the support of the Spanish crown, which saw in it a promise, however remote, of gaining the upper hand over rival powers in the contest for the lucrative spice trade with Asia

The Cashew Nut is actually a seed and not a "nut", in the botanical sense.  The seed is surrounded by a double shell containing an allergenic phenolic resin, anacardic acid, a potent skin irritant chemically related to the more well known allergenic oil urushiol which is also a toxin found in the related poison ivy. Properly roasting cashews destroys the toxin, but it must be done outdoors as the smoke (not unlike that from burning poison ivy) contains urushiol droplets which can cause severe, sometimes life-threatening, reactions by irritating the lungs.

While native to Brazil, the Portuguese took the cashew plant to Goa, India, between the years of 1560 and 1565. From there it spread throughout Southeast Asia and eventually Africa.


 
Guatemalan Cardamom
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    Cardamom

    Description
    Belonging to the ginger family and hailing from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, cardamom has been traded in India for over millennia now, though the actual history of cardamom is perhaps over 4,000 years old involving the Greeks, Romans, Indian and Egyptians. It was known as the Queen of Spices, with black pepper being the King. Also known as cardamon, Grains Of Paradise, Ela (in Sanskrit) and elachi or elaichi (in India), it has numerous health benefits,due to a high concentration of volatile oils. Some cultures considered it to be an aphrodisiac and even Arabian Nights has many references to it. A 1500 BC document named the Ebers Papyrus chronicles its used by ancient Egyptians for medicines, ritualistic and embalming practices, apart from chewing the pods to cleanse the teeth and render a freshness to breath. Cardamom has also been used for perfumes, aromatic oils and ointments. 

    Producer of Cardamom in Guatemala
     The Cardamom Tree 
    (Source: http://pharm1.pharmazie.uni-greifswald.de/allgemei/koehler/koeh-eng.htm)

    Growth
     A perennial bush of the ginger family, with sheathed stems reaching 2-5m (6-16 feet) in height. It has a large tuberous rhizome and long, dark green leaves 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) long, 5-15 cm (2-6”) wide. It grows in the tropics, wild and in plantations. Trailing leafy stalks grow from the plant base at ground level. These bear the seed pods. The flowers are green with a white purple-veined tip.

    In plantation cultivation, forest undergrowth is cleared and trees thinned to give just enough shade and the rhizome or seeds planted at 3m (10 ft) intervals. The plants are gathered in October-December, before they ripen, to avoid the capsules splitting during drying. They are dried in the sun or bleached with sulphur fumes.

    The small, brown-black sticky seeds are contained in a pod in three double rows with about six seeds in each row. The pods are between 5-20 mm (1/4”-3/4”) long, the larger variety known as ‘black’, being brown and the smaller being green. The pods are roughly triangular in cross section and oval or oblate. Their dried surface is rough and furrowed, the large ‘blacks’ having deep wrinkles. The texture of the pod is that of tough paper. Pods are available whole or split and the seeds are sold loose or ground.
    (Some information above has been taken from Wikipedia)

    Health Benefits
    According to Ayurveda, it improves blood circulation to the lungs and can be helpful in prevention of spasms or convulsions. Hence, cardamom in small quantities is beneficial for those suffering from asthma or bronchitis. Cardamom enhances appetite and provides relief from acidity in the stomach. It is used in the cure of halitosis. It is beneficial for those suffering from various kinds of respiratory allergies. When you have sore throat, you can try out a little quantity of this medicinal spice. Those suffering from nausea as well as excessive threat can also try out cardamom. Along with some other medicines, it can be used for treating mouth ulcers. It is known to be a good cure for weakness in general. Some practitioners of Ayurveda also advise its use for treating infection of the urinary tract.

    Grading

    We grade cardamom in to numerous categories based on the colour, size and overall appearance, from jumbo sizes of a deep green colour and a pungent aroma to yellowish ones of small size with open pods, depending on the market and application.  Very soon, we will have organic certified cardamom as well.

     

    Cardamom Jumbo Green
    Cardamom Jumbo Green

      Cardamom
    Cardamom Imperial Big Green

    Cardamom Close-up
    Cardamom Jumbo Green Closer Look
    Cardamom Open Pods
    Cardamom Open Pods

     

    For further information about availability, quality, price, please contact us.

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