If pepper is the â??King of Spicesâ?� then cardamom is the â??Queen of Spicesâ?�. One of the most exotic and highly prized spices, Indian green cardamom or small cardamom (choti elaichi) has a history that is as old as human civilization. The dried fruit of aherbaceous perennial, green cardamom is grown mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, on the shady slopes of the Western Ghats. Warm humid climate, loamy soil rich in organic matter, distributed rainfall and special cultivation and processing methods all combine to make Indian green cardamom truly unique in aroma, flavour and size thus rendering the temping parrot-green colour.