Culture and history · Bindu
Large cardamom on the Bindu slopes
Large cardamom, the big smoky pod used in Indian and Nepali kitchens, grows under forest shade on the slopes around Bindu. Ask your homestay host to introduce you to a farming family and see how it is grown, harvested and dried.
Large cardamom, also called black cardamom, is a plant of the eastern Himalaya, grown under the shade of tall trees in moist ravines. Its pods are much bigger than green cardamom and are dried over fire, which gives them their smoky taste. For generations it was the main cash crop of Sikkim and the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills, and families around Bindu still grow it.
In the harvest season, roughly September to November, farmers cut the clusters at the base of the plants, separate the pods and dry them in a bhatti, a smoke house with a wood fire beneath a rack. The smell fills the air. Outside the harvest, you can still walk through a plot and see the tall leafy plants under the trees.
This is private land and work. Go with your host, ask before entering and photographing, and buy a packet of pods if offered; it is the best souvenir of the valley. Diseases and changing rainfall have cut yields in many areas, so ask farmers how the crop is faring.
Cost: Free; tip or buy a packet
Questions people ask
Good to know
What is large cardamom?
Large cardamom, or black cardamom, is a spice from the eastern Himalaya with big, dark pods that are smoke-dried, giving a strong, smoky flavour. It is used in curries, biryanis and garam masala. It is a different plant from the small green cardamom of south India.
When is the cardamom harvest at Bindu?
Roughly from September to November, depending on altitude and the year's weather. Drying in smoke houses follows harvest. Outside this period you can still see the plants and buy dried pods from farmers and shops.
Can we buy cardamom from farmers at Bindu?
Often, yes, especially after the harvest. Prices follow the market and change from year to year. Buy from your homestay host or a family they introduce you to, and ask them to pack it well; the smell is strong.