Majida Rashid
In my August column, I wrote about the popularity of green cardamoms in Pakistan. Here I would like to mention that there are three main types of cardamoms: black, red or brown, and green. Chinese favor the brown ones and the black ones are used for soups and curries in Pakistan and Southeast Asian countries. They have a spicy, pungent and warm aroma. Unlike the green ones, the black cardamoms are not easily available in American stores.
Some of my American friends, to my surprise, do not like green cardamoms. But it has bewitched cooks on various continents and influenced cultures where spices and herbs are rarely used.
Arabic ghawa, ubiquitously served in Bahrain and other Arabian Gulf countries, is a beverage of ground green cardamoms and green coffee beans boiled together in water. It’s poured into a special coffee pot called a “dhalla.” A few sips of ghawa are served in a thimble shaped small cup called “fenjan.” No sugar is added.
The fenjan is held between a thumb and the adjacent two fingers. After finishing ghawa, guests must slightly twist the cup to the right, with a smooth jerking movement, to indicate they don’t want any more. Imagine the countless fenjans of ghawa I had to drink before I learned the custom!
At home, a water-filled bowl is placed in front of the guests. If a guest puts her fenjan in the bowl after finishing the ghawa, it means she is inviting everyone to her house.
Ghawa is as integral to Gulf Arabs as a croissant is to the French. In the olden days, the father of a girl showed his acceptance of a marriage proposal by putting the fenjan on the floor. Business deals were sealed similarly.
In modern day, airports and hotels in Bahrain and other Gulf countries have tents with Persian carpets and silver trays showing off ghawa-filled golden dhallas, fenjans and dates to welcome guests and weary travelers. No reception is complete without ghawa.
The use of green cardamom in the Middle East is of no surprise. Either Arabs traded silk and other goods with the Subcontinent and Persia and brought back cardamoms, or it grew somewhere in the Middle East.
Green cardamoms are grown in Pakistan and African and Southeast Asian countries, but Guatemala has become the leading supplier.
What’s most surprising is that the green cardamom captured the imagination of Nordic cooks.
The honor of introducing green cardamoms to Europe goes to Arab traders. Though it is also believed that Vikings may have stumbled upon them in the bazaars of Constantinople (present day Istanbul) and brought them back. No Scandinavian or Finnish Christmas is complete without the traditional julekake or pulla. Kardemummabullar, the pinnacle of Swedish baking, adorn every festive table and delight friends and family during daily “fika” or coffee break.
Swedish Cardamom Buns
Ingredients
For the dough
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2-1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
1-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the filling
3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
For the top
1 beaten egg
Instructions
For the dough
Mix the milk and sugar in a big bowl.
Sprinkle the yeast over the milk, cover and leave aside for 10 minutes.
Stir together the butter, sugar and ground cardamom.
Add it to the yeast mixture.
Gradually add the flour and salt until it’s fully incorporated.
Knead it for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
Put it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave aside for 1 hour.
For the filling
Combine the butter, sugar and cardamom and leave aside.
Assembly
Dust a work surface with flour and transfer the dough on it.
Roll the dough into a long thin 18” x 8” rectangle.
Lightly score the dough into three sections lengthwise.
Spread the filling over the one-third section on one end and fold over twice.
Roll out the dough into 8” x 5”.
Keep the dough intact on one side and cut the remaining dough lengthwise into two strips.
Twist each strip separately.
Lift the intact side and place over two fingers.
Bring the twisted strips across the fingers once.
Then loop them over the top and tuck the strips underneath and pinch to seal.
Brush with the beaten egg and set aside for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425ºF and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve hot with coffee.
Serves 3.
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Foodie Majida Rashid lives in Texas. Food and cooking are her passion. Her presentation about her love of food can be viewed on USA Today’s network: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0xi566VSPo – We Spread Love Through Food
@Frontiers_Of_Flavor
Her philosophical writing can be read at apakistaniwomansjourney.wordpress.com.
