352 
SPICES 
CHAP. 
In Coorg the cardamoms are either merely exposed 
to the sun on mats or trays, or dried over a slow fire. 
The oven is a long brick and mud structure, the roof of 
which is either flat and formed of zinc sheetino’, or 
a hollow trough. The fruit is spread out over the 
oven to dry, after which the stalks are cut off and the 
fruit is ready for sale. The Hindus pickle the green 
fruit and use it in confectionery dried. (Evers in 
Agricultural Journal of India, iv., 1909, p. 104.) 
BLEACHING 
The light bright colour of good cardamoms is obtained 
by some process of bleaching. This is not a very 
elaborate process in Ceylon. The capsules are there 
treated by sprinkling them with water, or dipping them 
and exposing them immediately to the full sun. This 
increases the amount of split fruit considerably, and 
Owen affirms that in good sunny weather a very good 
colour is obtained without any bleaching process. 
A correspondent of the Observer recommends steep- 
ing the fruit in boiling water for a minute before drying, 
but this bleaches the fruit excessively, more than would 
be appreciated by the London brokers. 
In India the natives have an elaborate process of 
bleaching which is described by E. Cozanne (Mollison, 
“Lesser Cardamom in the Bombay Presidency”). A 
large earthenware jar is filled with water, into which is 
put 2 lbs. of pounded soap-nuts, Sapindus saponaria, 
and \ lb. of the pods of Acacia concinna, to 5 gallons 
of water. This soap mixture is sufficient for 130 lbs. of 
cardamoms. Another jar contains a strong solution of 
common soap in water. Two women seated place an 
earthenware pan before them, into which they put 8 
quarts of water and 3 quarts of the soap-nut mixture. 
Then 10 lbs. of cardamoms are put into the tub, and the 
women stir it vigorously with the hand for one minute, 
rest for a minute, and stir it again. The cardamoms 
are now baled out and put into a basket to drain. They 
