Foreign Vegetables. 193 
taatick Tafte, fomething like Camphore, Laven- 
der, and Thyme, and an agreeable fweet Smell. 
Hence fome have termed them Grana Parad\ji y or 
Grains of Faradife. 
Matthiolus fuppofes the officinal Meleguette to 
be the Seed of this Fruit, which is taken out of 
the Pods and brought to us. But Cordus is of an- 
other Opinion *, for Cardamom-Seeds, fays he, 
have a quick and agreeable Tafte, without any 
burning Acrimony upon the Tongue \ and Mele- 
guette, on the contrary, is extremely hot and acrid 
like Pepper. And indeed their Difference in Tafte 
is considerable, Cardamom being lefs acrid and 
more aromatick, approaching to the Tafte of La- 
vender and Camphore. However, the Pods of 
Meleguette, as Cordus himfelf acknowledges, bear 
a great Refemblance to the greater Cardamom, be- 
ing full of Seeds like that, and commonly about 
the Bignefs of an Egg : We are therefore of Opi- 
nion that it ought to be ranked under the fame 
Genus , and may be called, in order to diftinguifh 
it from the true Sort, Cardamomum rnajus Semine 
piperaio. In the Shops it is called Meleguetta or 
Maniguetta * by fome Authors Grana Paradyfi * 9 
and is the Melkgelta feu Cardamomum piper atum of 
Cordus . It is a ftiining fquare-cornered Seed, lefs 
than Pepper, of a reddifh brown Colour on the 
Surface, and white within, having an acrid, hot 
and burning Tafte, like Pepper and Ginger, being 
alfo not unlike them in Smell. It is imported in 
large Quantities, and ferves inftead of Pepper for 
feafoning Food ; and fometimes is falfely l'ubftitut- 
ed in Medicines for Cardamom-Seed. It grows in 
Africa , Madagafcar , and the Eaft Indies , from which 
Places it is brought by the Butch . 
* By this Name it is generally fubftituted in our Shops for the 
true Cardamomum majus. 
O 2. Car dam - 
