[Sca-cooks] Cardamom?

[Terry Decker]

There was a lively discussion on whether or not grains of paradise and
cardamom were used for both Amomum meleguetta and Elettaria cardamomium.  I
think you will find it in the spice section of the Florilegium under grains
of paradise.

The OED states that cardamum has used to describe both and also includes
other members of both genera, but that the only cardamom included in the
British pharmacopocia is Malabar cardomom (E. cardamomium).  The word
appears in an English medical text as early as 1398 and is definitely
identified as a spice in 1553.

Quoting the OED, "1579 Langham "Gard. Health" (1633) 122 Cardamom, or
Graines of Paradise, are good to be drunke against the falling sickness."
That suggests an equivalence (if not a sameness) in usage.

It may be you are looking at the wrong sources to find cardamom in recipes.
Since cardamom appears to be used more in traditional Scandinavian cooking
than other parts of Europe, it might be interesting to see if the spice
appears in "Kogebog."

Bear

>I was wondering whether anyone has found SCA-period European recipes
>that call for cardamom. While I have found SCAdians' "redactions"
>that use it, especially in spice blends, I can't think of any period
>European recipes that actually call for cardamom.
>
>I'm just curious, because there are so many other Asian spices that
>were used in Europe that are no longer, such as long pepper,
>galangal, and grains of paradise. Why not cardamom?
>
>Anahita