When I decided to write about cardamom ice-cream, I knew I had to begin by tracing the spice’s origins in Swedish baking. And it’s been a journey, one possibly even longer than cardamom’s itself!
From what I’ve been able to gather, its path to Sweden is shrouded in mystery, starting in the distant lands of South Asia and the Middle East. As trade routes expanded, the spice eventually found its way to Europe and the Nordic countries, carried by the Moors, perhaps, or by Roman or Byzantine traders.
Magnus Nilsson, chef-owner of the – closed – restaurant Fäviken, wrote that “cardamom is a spice that has been used in the Nordic countries since the Middle Ages, most likely because of trade links with the East. It was and still is a very expensive spice, and historically it was a marker of wealth and status.” (Nilsson, 2015, p.96).
Fast-forward many centuries, and cardamom has found a home in every Swedish kitchen. From kardemummabullar to semlor, from pepparkakor to vörtbröd, cardamom is most definitely not used scarcely.
Is it its warming and pungent flavour that pairs so perfectly with the harsh winters. Or Sweden’s history as a trading nation, where spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and saffron were highly sought after?
Whatever the reason may be, there is one thing I know for sure. Cardamom’s journey as a staple in Swedish baking is as fascinating as it is delicious.
I then proceeded to research its etymology and first documented appearance – a glögg [mulled wine] recipe from Åke Rålamb’s dating 1690!
By the mid 18th century, cardamom was used in many recipes as pictured by Cajsa Warg’s 1755 book Hjelpreda I Hushållningen För Unga Fruentimber.
From Hjelpreda I Hushållningen För Unga Fruentimber, Cajsa Warg (1755)
In a recipe for små pepparkakor [small gingersnaps] she writes about cardamom – cardemummor [modern spelling: kardemumma] along with cinnamon, lemon zest, and bitter orange zest.
For a reason I quite can’t grasp the name of these spices are written in a different typography and other ingredients – like flour or cream of tartar – are not.
“Make a sirup using 5 pounds sugar and one liter water, which is beaten in a trough. Then, add 5 pounds good flour in there and mix immediately with 1 1/2 lod* cardamom, 1/2 lod mace, 1 1/2 lod cinnamon, 1/2 lod cloves, 3 lods broken bitter orange peel, 3 lods broken lemon peel, 1 1/2 lod grains of paradise, and 1 1/2 lod cream of tartar, which is first strained and mixed with rose water. Then stir it all into the syrup, while it is still warm, for a full hour using a wooden pestle, and let it ferment for half a day.”
ー Hjelpreda I Hushållningen För Unga Fruentimber, Cajsa Warg (1755)
* Lod: an old Swedish weight unit, approximately 13 grams or 1/32 pound.
Cardamom ice-cream
Notes
Ingredients
- 500 g whole milk
- 500 g whipping cream
- 2 tsp cardamom seeds finely ground
- 1 tsp green cardamom pods coarsely crushed
- 200 g egg yolks
- 200 g golden caster sugar
- a pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Bring the milk, cream, and ground cardamom seeds and crushed pods to the boil. Cover and allow to infuse for one hour.
- Bring to the boil again.
- In the meantime, combine the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a bowl using a whisk. When the cream has boiled, pour it over the egg yolks, whisking as you do so; then return the egg yolk mixture back into the pan.
- Heat gently, mixing with a heatproof silicone spatula until the ice-cream base is 81°C - thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Pass through a coarse-sieve - you just want to remove the cardamom pods.
- Immediately transfer into a heat-proof container. Clingfilm to the touch and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
- Churn the ice-cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Sources
– America’s Test Kitchen. (2020, January 13). Cardamom: How Did It Become Scandinavia’s Favorite Spice? https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/articles/3076-cardamom-how-did-it-become-scandinavia-s-favorite-spice
– Lundtan. (2018, December 12). The History of Eastern Spices in Swedish Baking. Lundtan. https://lundtan.lundaekonomerna.se/the-history-of-eastern-spices-in-swedish-baking/
– Nilsson, M. (2015). The Nordic Cookbook. Phaidon Press.
– SAOB. (2023). Kardemumma. In Svenska Akademiens ordbok. Hämtad 2023-04-14 från https://www.saob.se/artikel/?seek=kardemumma&pz=6.
– Swedish Spoon. (n.d.). Cardamom Buns (Kardemummabullar). Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://swedishspoon.com/cardamom-buns/
2 Comments
Molly
January 5, 2025 at 12:01 AMI would love to try this recipe but would like to get clarification on the number of egg yolks to use so that I don’t ruin a whole batch. By 200 grams of egg yolks, do you mean yolks from approximately 10 eggs – the yolks alone would weigh 200 grams. Or do you mean 200 grams of eggs which would be only 4 eggs (the quantity I see in other recipes) and the yolks would total 80 grams. One other thing, if you pour the heated cream directly over the yolks, won’t it cook them which would result in scrambled eggs?!
I’m intrigued by your recipe and the research you did on cardamom! Thanks in advance for clarifying.
Fanny
January 10, 2025 at 12:05 PMHi Molly!
Thanks for your great questions! I hope you do try this ice cream recipe—it’s one of my favorites.
Egg yolks measurement
The recipe calls for 200 grams of egg yolks, which is about 10 to 12 large yolks. Each large yolk typically weighs between 17 to 20 grams.
Preventing curdling
Whenever I need to mix hot liquids into eggs, I always combine the eggs—in this case, yolks—with sugar first. This applies to many recipes, from pastry cream to crème brûlée, ice cream base, flan, and more. Sugar coats the proteins in the yolks, which helps prevent them from curdling when the hot cream is added.
However, it is fundamental to mix the yolks and sugar as soon as they come into contact. If sugar sits on the yolks too long without mixing, it can cause the yolks to “cook,” leading to lumps in your mixture.
To further prevent scrambling, slowly pour a small amount of the heated cream into the yolk-sugar mixture while whisking constantly. This gradual process, known as tempering, gently raises the temperature of the yolks. Once combined, you can add the rest of the cream without risk.
Once you’ve returned the batter to the pan, heat very gently, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula until the ice cream base reaches 81°C. The residual heat will bring it up to around 84°C for a perfect finish.