Black Cardamom is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Zingiberaceae. Its seed pods have a strong, camphor-like flavor, with a smoky character derived from the method of drying. Black cardamom is a popular Indian spice, called badi elaichi or kali elaichi. The pods have a tough, dried, wrinkly skin, are roughly one inch in length, and house small, sticky, dark-colored seeds. Black cardamom has a pungent aroma with a citrus and eucalyptus flavor. This spice also has notes of resin and camphor, as well as menthol, a slightly minty aroma that provides balance to an otherwise funky flavor. These intense, heady notes put black cardamom in the "warming" spice category, along with black pepper, cloves, and chilies. Some also refer to them as brown cardamom due to their dark brown color. It is not just the size, color and shape that is different to green cardamom. A common use of whole cardamom pods is when a dish requires a relatively long time to simmer, such as when making rice, whole grains, lentils, meat dishes or even broths for soups and stews! The prolonged simmering of the dish in a liquid helps to squeeze out the oils and inject the dish with a woody freshness!