Cardamom is native to Western India and is intensely fragrant & aromatic. Its warm pungency contributes a "perfume" to curries, rice dishes, vegetable dishes, pickles and syrups. Use sparingly as it can be over powering. Cardamom is also used in Indian & Middle Eastern beverages & breakfast pastries. Cardamom can be used to flavour ice creams, kulfi, fruit compotes such as pineapple, mango, apples, pear and bananas. In Arabian Cuisines Cardamom is one of the most popular spices. Cardamom coffee is a symbol of hospitality and prestige. One and a half teaspoons of ground cardamom is the equivalent of 10 cardamom pods.