Stemless Black Cardamom: Low Broken and Flat Fruits Rate Spice
Black cardamom, a spice that graces Indian curries and Vietnamese pho, holds a unique charm. This unique spice comes in two forms: with stems and stemless. They are still both cardamom, however there are slight differences between them. People highly appreciate stemless cardamom for their higher quality. How does stemless cardamom stand out? Let’s find out about stemless black cardamom in the following post!
1. How to harvest Cardamom
People often harvest this black cardamom in October and November. They climb to the high mountain, where the cardamom plants grow. Unlike its green cousin, people harvest black cardamom when the pods are still green but just beginning to ripen. To get the best flavor and aroma, this timing is crucial. The pods are traditionally hand-cut by farmers, who then carry the pods in baskets on their backs.
Once harvested, they proceed to the drying process. Black cardamom receives its distinctive smokey flavor from being dried over open flames, unlike spices that are dried in direct sunlight. Farmers build clever contraptions using freshly cut bamboo sticks, creating a platform for the pods to rest above the flames. It takes about 2-3 days to dry this spice. The cardamom is softly infused with smoke, transforming it from a young pod into the dark and producing a tasty treasure. This drying process also has a practical benefit because it reduces the weight of the cardamoms by a third. So, this makes them easier to deliver out of the mountains.
While drying is the key step, some producers might include additional processing like light roasting to improve the flavor profile further. Then, people sort the dried black cardamom for quality. This is the important step to make 2 kinds of cardamom products: cardamom with stem & stemless cardamom.
2. Stemless Cardamom
In the sorting step, people grade cardamom in terms of flat cardamom. Normally, ideal cardamom pods are plump and brimming with seeds. However, some different fruits have nothing inside. They are totally flat, so, smoking them seems meaningless. These are low-quality fruits, and using these black cardamoms can badly affect the taste of dishes. Therefore, people try to reduce the number of flat cardamom fruits by sorting them by hand.
Moreover, in the sorting step, people also grade cardamom by the broken rate. This spice went through a drying process so it got harder in the outer shell. However getting harder, it is more easier to get cracked. What is more inconvenient than using a broken cardamom? It is not only not good in appearance but also hard to measure the amount to use. It’s hard to avoid broken black cardamom, so people try to reduce it in the sorting step instead. Therefore, the differences between black cardamom with stem and stemless cardamom stay on their flat and broken fruit rate.
Normally, cardamom with stem has a max broken rate of 5 -10% and flat fruits 12%. However, stemless cardamom has a lower rate due to its being selected carefully. The amount of broken cardamom is a maximum of 3%, while the flat fruit rate is lower than 5%. Moreover, people remove the stem of cardamom for easier use. This makes a better appearance for this spice. Due to more careful selection, stemless cardamom has a higher price than cardamom with stem. Despite the higher price, customers often prefer stemless black cardamom due to its high quality.
About us
Havigo Company Limited operates in the field of agricultural export. We wish to bring high-quality Vietnamese agricultural products such as spices, rice, beans, and fruits… to the world. We supply you with high-quality products at the best price. If you find interested in importing Stemless Black Cardamom, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for better support via WhatsApp: +84 979 58 58 56.
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