

Cardamom is is called the queen of spices primarily because it is an exotic spice, and it is an expensive spice that comes with a lot of important properties. It is the third most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla.

Cardamom is a native of the Western Ghats of Southern India, mostly grown in the state of Kerala in India. Cardamom requires an elevation of 1600 feet and above and a temperature that falls between 19 to 25 degrees with ample rainfall. The plants require shade and that is why they are mostly grown along with tropical rainforests.


Kerala contributes to 65% of the cardamom production in India. Apart from Kerala there are plantations in patches of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states where there is a presence of the Western Ghats. The North East Indian states like Sikkim have growing percentage of Cardamom plantations, however best quality remains the one coming from Kerala.

Cardamom is the dried fruit which is otherwise called a pod, harvested from the Cardamom plant which is scientifically called Elettaria Cardamomum.