Cardamom is cardamom, the dried fruit of cardamom in the ginger family. Cardamom is spherical in shape, with unremarkable obtuse trigonometry, creamy white or yellowish surface, the pericarp is woody and brittle, easy to crack longitudinally, the inner wall is pale and slightly glossy, the seeds are twenty or thirty. Cardamom smell bitter aroma, taste pungent and slightly bitter, cooking can remove the odor, increase the pungent aroma, commonly used in brine as well as hot pot and so on.
Nutmeg, also known as funnel cardamom, grass cardamom, grass cardamom nut, flying thunderbolt, for the ginger plant nutmeg dry seed clusters, but also a kind of spicy seasoning. Nutmeg shape for the oblong or oblate seed mass, apical tip, base slightly triangular, the surface is gray-brown, hard, such as breaking it open, the fracture surface color white, such as wax. Grass nutmeg has the role of removing the stink, strange flavor, increase the special flavor of the dishes, in cooking can be used with cardamom or substitute. In addition, it is worth stating that some people think that the nutmeg is the grass fruit, which is incorrect. Grass nut fruit is large, black and oily color, hard shell, fine seeds inside, also known as grass nut, grass nut seeds, it is the fruit of the ginger plant grass nut.
Knowing the difference between cardamom and grass nutmeg, we have to choose the right one when using it to bring out their value.