Cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, oh my!
Autumn is the time to change our eating habits back to warming foods. An important part of those foods are warming spices. We need to start using these spices now to help us become more balanced during the fall season.
Let's talk about Cardamom. It is a member of the ginger family and native to Southeast Asia. As an herbal medicinal, cardamom is particularly favored in traditional medicine system around the world, including Ayurvedic and Chinese five element systems. The traditional systems in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam use this spice to balance the digestive system, and to treat inflammations, infections, and congestion.
In our book, Cookin’ Up Good Vibrations, there is a wonderful dessert recipe called Spicy Sautéed Pears. In this recipe, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon are used to help bring out the warm flavor of the pears.