Small history

After vanilla, cardamom is the most expensive spice on the world market

Origin
Original cardamom comes from Malabar and Ceylon
Malabar cardamom - Elettaria cardamomum

Ceylon cardamom - Elettaria major
As its name indicates, this cardamom tree is larger and its fruit bigger. However it produces a lesser-quality spice.

Cambodian cardamom
The Kravanh mountains of Cambodia and Thailand were for a long time known as the Cardamom Mountains, but they also produce a false cardamom, from the same ginger family, but of the aframomum variety instead of amomum.

Cardamom from Indochina - Amomum kravanh - called amome
This species is recognizable by its round pod. Its flowers grow in long spikes.

Etymology