Large cardamom fields and drying kilns

Large cardamom, also called black cardamom, is a tall plant that grows in damp, shady ravines and slopes, usually under alder trees that fix nitrogen in the soil. The pods grow in clusters at the base of the stems, close to the ground. Sikkim has long been one of India's largest producers of large cardamom, and for many hill families it is the main source of cash income.

From about August to October, families cut the pod clusters and carry them to a bhatti, a small kiln where they are dried over a wood fire for a day or two. The smoke gives the spice its distinctive flavour. If you visit at harvest time, you may see the drying in progress and the dried pods being cleaned and bagged for sale.

Ask your host how prices have moved and how plant diseases have affected yields in recent years. The plots are private and fragile, so walk where you are shown, do not pick pods and keep children close. Outside the harvest season, you can still see the plants and the kilns.