cardamom smell?

[heidih]

I don't really know what cardamom is supposed to smell/taste like. I bought a small bag of black cardamom pods from a supermarket. When I opened the bag there was a really strong menthol smell, kind of like Vicks vaporub! It's a really strong smell, not like some things of read ( e.g. a hint of eucalyptus). Is this OK- is it supposed to smell like this?

[steinpilz]

Yup, that's it. I'll chew on the green cardamom pods as a breath freshener. I've always though of 'black cardamom' as the seeds from green pods.

[Miss Needle]

The seeds inside of a green/white cardamom pod are black. But there is another spice called black cardamom which has a more smoky aroma.

[raj1]

Rubber tires? Maybe?

[Miss Needle]

Black cardamom pods are different than green/white ones. First of all, they are much larger. Secondly, they're incredibly more pungent. I don't think that you can substitute black for the more frequently used green/white.

[Dorothy]

Yep, cardamom has that medicinal smell/flavor. You use it in small amounts.