Crack Open the Cardamom
A foray into Jordanian cuisine and its star spice, cardamom

story and recipe by Audrey Farber
photo by Elizabeth Cunningham

Oft forgotten in the back of the spice cabinet, trampled in the race to ethnic culinary stardom by cinnamon, cumin, or curry powder, cardamom is a fundamental flavor in Jordanian cuisine. I always connected cardamom with the forgotten spice cakes of yesteryear or shortbread cookies of ambiguous origin. But despite its mere supporting role in American desserts—from streusel topping to rice pudding—cardamom figures prominently in all types of savory Jordanian dishes.

I spent the fall semester in Jordan, a Middle Eastern country whose cuisine reflects spic­iness from the East, Mediterranean flavors from the West, and Bedouin customs and hospitality from the surrounding desert. Because of its location along ancient trade routes, this cross section of cuisine has historically been influenced by spices origi­nating in India, including cardamom. Today, because of its popularity, whole cardamom pods can be found anywhere in Jordan from the supermarket to the spice market in the downtown souq. The sheer number and vari­ety of spices at these spice markets turns a trip downtown into an adventure through a culinary wonderland.

One of my first unexpected encounters with cardamom was in a cup of coffee. The assortment of light green cardamom pods and medium and dark brown coffee beans in any Jordanian roastery is striking. All three are ground together to make “Turkish coffee” – always served strong, fresh, and in small doses. It’s ubiquitous in cafés, restaurants, homes, and in the hands of exhausted taxi drivers.

Cardamom is the dominant flavor in two of my favorite Jordanian dishes: maghloubeh and mansaf. Maghloubeh is a rice and chicken dish that incorporates fried eggplant, cauliflower, and potatoes. The chicken, vegetables, and rice are layered in a large pot, which is then overturned onto a huge platter to serve large groups. (Maghloubeh literally means “upside down” in Arabic.) I brought cardamom pods home from Jordan with the express purpose of making maghloubeh for my family, which I did much to their delight. Despite the fact that my maghloubeh nowhere near measured up to that of my host mother’s, my family thought it was delicious and loved the experience of eat­ing “Arab style.”

Mansaf, a traditional rice dish reserved for special occasions or guests, also relies on cardamom. It features lamb (including the head – I was once convinced by a cunning host uncle to eat the eye socket muscles) boiled in a special spiced yogurt sauce, jameed. The lamb is arranged over the rice with the head in the place of honor atop the heap and gar­nished with toasted almonds, fresh parsley, and jameed.

A Jordanian cook is never shy about using cardamom in her dishes; you can smell mansaf or maghloubeh cooking from a mile away because of all the cardamom. For those daring enough to try cooking with cardamom, pods can be purchased at Whole Foods for $6.99/oz. (one regular spice jar). They are green and about the size of a pumpkin seed but with three faces. Using the whole pod (cracked) is the authentic way; save the ground cardamom for the spice cookies.

Maghloubeh

Like most Middle Eastern cooking, amounts and proportions are inexact. Experiment depending on what you have, how much you need, and how you want it to taste. Just don’t be shy with the spices, as long as you don’t overdo the cinnamon; it’s hard to get too much cardamom. Traditional sides are yogurt and Arabic salad: diced cucumbers and tomatoes dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and salt.

1 large or a few baby eggplants
1 head cauliflower
2-4 potatoes
1 whole or cut-up chicken
1 lb. rice
5 cardamom pods, cracked
dash of cinnamon
salt, to taste
turmeric (optional)
olive oil, for frying

  1. › Pour enough boiling water over rice to cover. Set aside.
  2. › Cut chicken into 8-10 pieces. Boil in large pot of water with 5 cracked cardamom pods, using more or less to taste. Add cinnamon, salt, and turmeric. Boil until chicken is cooked through, about an hour.
  3. › Thinly slice eggplant, potatoes, and cauliflower. Fry in a skillet with ¼ inch of oil. (Alternatively, roast cauliflower with olive oil in a 400 degree oven.) Set aside.
  4. › Layer chicken, then vegetables, then rice in a large pot. Pour in cooking liquid from the chicken until it is 1 inch above the top level of rice. Add spices to taste. Cook over very low heat, so liquid is barely simmering, until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. Add more liquid as necessary.
  5. › Overturn pot onto a large platter and serve.