ELETTARIA CART CARDAMOM
History of Cardamom intertwined with the Vettikuzhiyil Family
Cardamom is arguably one of the oldest spices known to man. It was first discovered as produce of wild plants found in the Western Ghats in Kerala’s rainfed high ranges. It is said that the spice has been in use for four millennia and was traded with much of the known world in those days. Organized cardamom plantations came up during the British period and after independence, it was taken up by traditional farming communities and families in the region. Much of the high ranges of the hills in Kerala came under organized spice plantations by Syrian-Christian families in Kerala.