In a tiny nook in my kitchen lies a small packet whose contents are firmly secured by taut rubber bands. Its verdant inhabitants are summoned on various occasions—when a regular cup of chai needs an upgrade, when payasam seeks that extra dash of flavour, or when, paired with bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon sticks, it is needed to create that magical flavour that makes any savoury dish sing with delight. Come rain or shine, green cardamom, fondly known as the ‘Queen of Spices’, never lets you down.
What we consume as green cardamom are the dried, ripe fruits of the perennial cardamom plant, which belongs to the ginger family. In India, choti elaichi, or small cardamom, as it is commonly known, is a native plant that grows mainly in the moist evergreen forests of the Western Ghats in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The expensive tiny green pods are often crushed in a mortar and pestle to release the black seeds—the flavour bombs—that carry the spice’s complex signature flavor and aroma. I find it is a bit sweet and warm; a food writer describes it as ‘warm, pungent, earthy and rich’.
‘Whether it is everyday cooking or for a special occasion, cardamom always features,’ says Goya Journal co-founder Aysha Tanya, one half of the food blog Malabar Tea Room and a member of the Mappila community. ‘We begin by either sautéing onions or by sautéing cardamom and cloves. It’s also a big part of our desserts. The spice isn’t always in your face. If you’re eating a dish and can’t put your finger on that one flavour thrumming in the back, it’s probably cardamom. I can’t imagine our kitchens without it.’
But despite cardamom’s crucial role in the country’s cuisine, the spice currently seems to be at a crossroads—caught between the pull of high demand and the push of challenges like droughts, unseasonal rains and growing pest attacks.
From the Hills of Travancore
‘Cardamom has a history as old as the human race,’ write B Chempakam and S Sindhu, researchers from the Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, Kerala, in the book Chemistry of Spices. The duo explain that mentions of cardamom date back to the fourth century BC in documented texts. Beyond being a crucial Ayurvedic ingredient in India, the spice was also used by ancient Greeks and Romans, and was traded from India as early as 1000 AD.
Before cardamom was cultivated in a conventional manner, it was a wild crop amidst the lush forests of the Western Ghats, where the Cardamom Hills, or Yela Mala Hills—a mountain range in Kerala’s Idukki district—became its signature abode.
In the 12th-century encyclopaedia Manasollasa, which outlines King Someshwara III’s reign, is a recipe for what may be the earliest known predecessor of the gulab jamun. Small balls of fresh cheese mixed with rice flour are fried in ghee and then soaked in a sugar syrup infused with cardamom.
In the early 19th century, wild cardamom collected by indigenous communities and tenant farmers in the region was widely used for trade. Owing to cardamom’s burgeoning popularity at the time, the Travancore kingdom deployed large numbers of its army to cultivation areas and the state’s borders to prevent the spice from being smuggled. While it was initially traded under the state’s monopoly, this was abolished in 1896 to encourage private cultivation.
Even before the monopoly was lifted, liberal land allocation measures were instituted to increase the production of cardamom and other remunerative crops, leading to a massive expansion in cultivated area. Early cultivators of the spice included British missionaries, heirs of colonial officials and spice growers from the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu (Madras Presidency back then).
Because of Tamil Nadu’s avid interest in cardamom, the town of Bodinayakanur in the state’s present-day Theni district became the marketing centre for the spice, earning the title of ‘Cardamom City’.
‘The High Wavy Mountains’ of Meghamalai form a mountain range in the Theni district near Kumily, Tamil Nadu. This part of the Western Ghats, 1500 metres above sea level, is dotted with verdant plantations full of tea and cardamom. Photo: Rajaprakash RM/ Shutterstock.
A rapid influx of cultivators led to heavy encroachment on the region’s forests to pave the way for the cash crop. In a 1986 publication titled ‘Land Hunger and Deforestation—Case Study of Cardamom Hills in Kerala’, the authors elaborate on how these early liberal land allocation measures to encourage cardamom cultivation came at a sizeable price. Despite outlining detailed procedures to protect trees and forest areas—such as cutting trees only when necessary and for growing cardamom alone—the ungoverned expansion of cultivated land completely altered the forest cover around cardamom plants. According to the publication, forest cover in the Cardamom Hills decreased from 87.08% in 1905 to a meagre 33.4% in 1973.
Cardamom productivity in 1900 was about 50 kg/hectare. Data gathered by the Spices Board of India between 2021–22 illustrates that the area under cardamom cultivation is highest in Kerala, at 39,143 hectares. This is followed by Karnataka at 25,135 hectares and Tamil Nadu at 4,912 hectares. The average yield across the three states is about 337 kg/hectare, with Kerala having the highest cardamom output at about 543 kg/hectare. While the Cardamom Hills continue to hold the fort for the spice, their pristine conditions are no longer part of this fairy tale.
The Queen of Spices
The world may call cardamom the Queen of Spices for its versatility and rich aroma, but Dr S J Ankegowda, principal scientist and head of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)—Indian Institute of Spices Research Regional Station, Appangala, Karnataka, calls it by the same name for a different reason. ‘The crop requires significant care right from the beginning. It is resource- and time-intensive, and if you don’t give it the attention it needs, the yield of the spice is hampered,’ he says. ‘Cardamom is not a plant that can be left to nature if you want to see good results. You have to pay attention to its needs.’
He explains that cardamom plants require cool, humid climates to thrive. They are ideally grown at altitudes of 600–1,200m above mean sea level in regions where the mean temperature ranges between 15 and 35℃. The plant prefers loamy forest soil that is rich in humus and potassium.
The Cardamom Hill Reserve area retains only a fraction of its former rich biodiversity, according to a 2022 research study by scientists at the Cardamom Research Station, Pampadumpara, Kerala, along with researchers from other institutions across India. The severe lopping of trees for increased cardamom cultivation has greatly diluted the forest species composition in the region, and only three species account for more than 50% of the tree population here. These drastic changes to the ecosystem have contributed to a surface air temperature increase of 0.3℃ every ten years since 1978. The cultivation of high-yielding cardamom varieties has also reduced the genetic diversity of the spice itself, impacting the region’s soil conditions due to chemical inputs needed to sustain these varieties.
‘Cardamom’s yield increase has come at the cost of its ecosystem,’ explains Dr Ankegowda. ‘Along with technological advancements, better irrigation systems and the enhanced use of pesticides have led to the surge in yield over the years,’ he adds, before warning, ‘These factors can only have a positive effect up to a point before it becomes detrimental.’
During his field visits, Dr Ankegowda is already witnessing the impacts of these environmental changes across the states where cardamom is grown. With some areas becoming unsuitable for the spice, farmers are moving to newer regions or finding ways to intensify cultivation by increasing inputs. ‘In Karnataka, for example, the Malnad region was known for cardamom cultivation, but recently, there has been increased cultivation in the Hassan district. I recently visited a farmer in Magadi who is growing cardamom with an elaborate set-up, including sprinklers, to create the ideal growing environment,’ he says. But as farmers try to arrange the perfect setting for their cardamom plants, another significant challenge lies in their paths—increasing pest attacks
Fighting for Survival
‘When I first began researching cardamom in 2017, every farmer that I met said that organic cultivation was impossible as the plant could not withstand it,’ says Sana Javeri Kadri, CEO and founder of Diaspora Co., a single-origin, equitable spice company. ‘Being a cash crop, they use a lot of pesticides to protect cardamom from attacks. They would tell me that it is organic, but when I got the spice tested at my end, there would be alarming levels of pesticide residue in it.’
Pest attacks are a significant cause for concern for cardamom plants, with about 56 species of insects known to damage various parts of the plant at different growth stages. According to the Spices Board of India’s Plant Protection Code for Small Cardamom, pests, diseases and weeds contribute to a loss in crop production of approximately 20–40%. Although the code suggests an integrated approach (a combination of biological, physical, chemical and mechanical methods) to combat pest attacks, Javeri Kadri found that farmers sometimes expose the crop to pesticides up to 30 times in its life cycle. ‘The cardamom fruit absorbs the pesticides, and the dried fruit is the final product. So it is a challenge for farmers as it is an expensive crop to grow, and after all their effort, the final product also has harmful pesticide residue in it,’ she says. (As of July 1st, the average price of cardamom was 2148.92 rupees/kg. For context, the price of pepper is about 670-690 rupees/kg as of 28-Jun-2024; the average price of small cardamom is about 3 times that of pepper.)
Javeri Kadri’s dogged efforts led her to finding the wild Baraka green cardamom variety that is meticulously cultivated without any chemical inputs using biodynamic farming by an agriculturist in the Cardamom Hills. Today, the Diaspora Co. pantry hosts wild cardamom varieties from three farms that cultivate the spice using regenerative agricultural practices.
‘The market also wants bright green pods without any damage on the skin, which pushes farmers to spray more chemicals to prevent any form of attack,’ explains Dr Ankegowda. Many farmers are currently cultivating the Nelyani green-gold cardamom variety, which buyers prefer. But unless people understand what goes into cardamom cultivation and are willing to accept less-than-perfect pods, it will be challenging for farmers to reduce their pesticide use.
When it comes to the final product, it’s not just colour and spotless pods that matter. T Alagesan of Western Ghats Spices Traders, Tamil Nadu, explains that the pods are also segregated based on their size, with those measuring 8mm or more garnering the maximum price in the market, and the smaller pods (5.5mm–6.5mm or smaller) going for the lowest.
Javeri Kadri adds that wild green cardamom is often paler and smaller than popular varieties, making it difficult for farmers growing wild cardamom to sell their products in the commodity market. She admits that while it is unfair to ask a consumer who is portioning out their income to spend around 18 times more on their green cardamom, the current grading based on appearance also does not help farmers who practise mindful cultivation.
‘Currently the market is driven by appearances, but it should be driven by flavour and aroma, and the wild cardamom varieties are full of flavour. Sadly, the spice industry is largely commodity-based. Most companies do not care about who is growing their spice or if climate change or other factors will impact that, unless the price starts to get affected. The farmers get the raw end of this deal, which often makes it difficult for them to sustain cultivation,’ adds Javeri Kadri.
Bracing for an Uncertain Future
Green cardamom farmers in Kerala’s Idukki district are facing a severe drought and are worried that their crops will be completely destroyed if the situation persists. This May, the agricultural department of Idukki submitted an action plan to mitigate the impacts of the drought (suggested methods include modern irrigation measures, soil conservation and mulching, saysThe Hindu.) On the other end of the spectrum, about 18 months ago, Diaspora Co.’s farm partner in Tamil Nadu witnessed unseasonal heavy rain that caused their cardamom plants to stagnate in water for days. Some of the crops were destroyed, and several became highly susceptible to pest attacks.
In Coorg, the biggest hurdle is warming summer temperatures, which make it difficult to sustain a sensitive crop like cardamom. ‘Many of us have shifted our efforts to cultivating coffee,’ says Binoo George a farmer in Madikeri, Karnataka. ‘I used to cultivate cardamom on 12 acres; now I am down to four.’
A key aspect of growing green cardamom is harvesting the spice, which requires skilled labour. As the cardamom fruits mature, harvesting extends over a few months. During this time, experienced hands pick the fruits when they sport a dark green colour. If they are picked any earlier or later, the pods will be of no use.
The picked fruits also have to be dried to reduce their moisture content in a step known as curing. ‘Earlier farmers would dry cardamom under the sun for this step, but that won’t give you the bright green colour that consumers expect,’ explains George. Most farmers today use artificial means of curing with electric heating, LPG or firewood, thereby retaining the pod’s colour.
Interestingly, amidst the seesaw of climate change impacts, some farmers in other regions of the Western Ghats are shifting to cultivating cardamom.
Kodaikanal’s K R Sakthi Rajarathinam, who, along with his father, had been growing coffee for over 60 years at KR Farms, shifted to growing cardamom three years ago when climate change began to wreak havoc on the coffee front and unseasonal rain made it difficult to harvest the beans. During his visits to Kerala, Rajarathinam was introduced to cardamom cultivation and slowly began learning more about the crop. He also visited a wild cardamom plantation in the Adukkam village of Kodaikanal to see how the cultivation differs from commercial varieties.
Rajarathinam is very pleased with the way the spice is doing. ‘In my initial days, I faced a few challenges, but I kept learning and persisting with cardamom. I also tried organic cultivation, but pests were a huge issue and I had to stop growing the spice organically. My recent harvest was good—the pods were nice and green,’ he says. Along with coffee, KR Farms also faced difficulty in cultivating plums, which couldn’t withstand the region’s changing temperatures. But cardamom has provided a refuge to the farmer.
KR Farms is one of the many farms in Kodaikanal that have switched from coffee to cardamom. Additionally, in what seems to be a reversal of history (as growers from Tamil Nadu once came to the Cardamom Hills for cultivation), farmers from the neighbouring state of Kerala are moving to Kodaikanal’s lower hills, seeking a better environment for their cardamom crops.
But, Dr Ankegowda explains, shifting to new land is only a temporary solution to this problem.
Green cardamom has witnessed empires rise and fall and stood still as the world around it embraced new ideas. It has gone from being an untamed, wild plant to being cultivated through our agricultural practices, and has never refrained from adding a dash of magic to our food. But whether it can adapt to new climatic battles and continue to thrive remains to be seen.
