One substance that can add quite a kick to any dish is cardamom. Even today the spice is an expensive one, at least compared to its peers. The delicate flavors of cardamom can add a unique twist to any culinary layout, from wedding catering to BBQ catering. Cardamom pods come from the southern region of India, but the spice can be obtained just about anywhere today. The supply found in North American grocery stores is usually imported from crops in Guatemala.

The sweet and spicy nature of cardamom is derived from the seeds within the pod. Cooks in America usually find cardamom already in its powdered form; this powder is derived from those seeds but does not contain the same delicate balance of flavors that can be found in the original pod form. Once you have bought cardamom in the seed pod form, you will likely never go back to the powdered version. It is difficult to bottle the flavors found in the cardamom pod; once it has been opened and the seeds cracked it is difficult to pin down those flavors for long. If you have purchased a few pods, you will see that the seeds’ flavors would not last long if you leave them lying around instead of using the fresh seeds right away. Unfortunately, the seeds are unable to maintain a high level of fresh flavors. Typically, ground cardamom contains both the ground seeds and the pod. Therefore, the taste of the seeds is made milder by the addition of the ground pods. As you can see, purchasing the pods is really the best option if your recipe calls for cardamom.

Be sure to purchase the freshest possible cardamom pods from your local grocery store or specialty shop. Do not crack them until just before you are ready to use the seeds in your dish. Be sure to use the pods within nine months, this way your stores will always be as fresh as possible, and the flavors will really shine through when you incorporate the seeds into your meals. Store the pods in mason jars will air tight lids, and place the jars in a place where the temperature stays moderate. You do not want to place the pods in a place where they are exposed to too much heat; any exposure to heat may take away from the seeds’ delicate flavors.

To extract the flavor from your precious cardamom seeds, you will need a mortar and pestle. Extract the seeds from each pod and place them in the mortar if you do not have one, you can also use a clean coffee grinder for a similar effect to be ground. Remember to only separate the seeds from the pods when you are ready to use them. Taking the seeds out and saving them for later will only take away from the seeds’ flavor and that is exactly what we are trying to avoid here.

If you happen to be using the seeds to flavor any number of stews, soups or savory dishes, you can actually toss the entire pod in as the dish cooks. You can crush it much like smashing a garlic clove or throw it in whole, depending upon the effect you want to create.

Ellie Lewis searched the term wedding catering Sacramento to find a caterer for her daughter’s wedding. She hired a Sacramento BBQ catering company to provide food and drinks for the company picnic.

For more information about wedding catering go to
http://www.gastoncatering.com/ .

Author Bio: Ellie Lewis searched the term wedding catering Sacramento to find a caterer for her daughter’s wedding. She hired a Sacramento BBQ catering company to provide food and drinks for the company picnic.

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: wedding catering Sacramento,Sacramento BBQ catering