Think India, and you can almost smell the spices. Spice is a very important
part of Indian cooking. This is a photo of 'Elaichis' - Hindi for cardamoms. Elaichis
contain a distinct fragrance that distinguishes it from the other spices.
Around eighty percent of the world's cardamoms are produced in India. There are
three kinds of cardamom - black, green and white. Traditionally, in India only
the black and green cardamoms are used. The flavor of elaichis are also used
in many over the counter food items like cookies and ofcourse everyone's had an
elaichi flavored tea.

Botanical name: Elettaria cardamomum
Family name: Zingiberaceae

Here is a recipe using elaichis. Click here... This is a very good dessert.

An alternate image with the focus in the middle is here.