Alleppey Green Cardamom is a green variety of kiln dried

Cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are rec ...

capsule grown in

Cardamom Hills The Cardamom Hills or Yela Mala are mountain range of southern India and part of the southern Western Ghats located in Idukki district, Kerala, India. Their name comes from the cardamom spice grown in much of the hills' cool elevation, whic ...

of Idukki district in Kerala. This cardamom variety is called Alleppey cardamom not because it's grown in

Alleppey Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in state of Kerala, India. The Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in India which attracts millions of domestic and internat ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

rather it's because Alleppey was the main depot through which this cardamom was processed in erstwhile

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

.
In 18th century kings of Travancore brought state monopoly over trade and export of cardamom. The understanding between kings with

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, Travancore–Dutch Wars, consolidation of power under

Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...

with British aid etc. were the reasons why such monopoly had come. This made all produce of cardamom in Travancore state to be sold solely to the state depot at Alleppey. Back then

Alappuzha Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...

was the major port in Travancore. This led to development of cardamom sorting and processing in Alleppey which resulted the naming of the most high quality cardamom produce from the region as ''Alleppey Green Cardamom.'' Post rise of

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

market and port, Independence of India,

Travancore–Cochin Travancore–Cochin, or Thiru–Kochi, was a short-lived state of India (1949–1956). It was originally called United State of Travancore and Cochin following the merger of two former kingdoms, Travancore and Cochin on 1 July 1949. Its origina ...

merger the relevance and existence of a port in Alleppey became a thing of past. Today the development of better processing facilities, abundance of raw material, skilled cheap labour and allied infrastructure etc. in Idukki had resulted in complete shifting of the processing industry out of Alappuzha. Alleppey cardamom has a unique quality. It is kiln dried and has superior sensory quality, uniform shade of green and a three cornered ribbed appearance.

Geographical indication rights

Allepey Green Cardamom received Intellectual Property Rights Protection or

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

(GI) status in 2005.

References

Geographical indications in Kerala Spices Culture of Alappuzha district Agriculture in Kerala {{Kerala-stub

Geographical indication rights

See also

References