Spice consisting of whole or ground dried fruit, or seeds, of Elettaria cardamomum , a perennial herb of the ginger family.
The flavour is warm, slightly pungent, and highly aromatic. Cardamom is a popular seasoning. Native to moist forests of southern India, the fruit may be collected from wild plants, but most is cultivated. The whole fruit is a green, three-sided oval capsule containing 15–20 dark, hard, angular seeds.