Ottawa is a funny place for food. You’ve got the government vibe, the tech sector in Kanata, and then this incredible, sprawling underground of international grocery stores that most people just drive right past. If you’re looking for cardamom and cloves Ottawa has some specific spots that put the supermarket stuff to shame. Seriously. If you are buying those tiny glass jars from the baking aisle of a generic grocery chain, you’re basically paying for dusty floor sweepings.
It’s about the volatile oils.
When you crack open a green cardamom pod, it should hit you. It’s floral. It’s citrusy. It’s almost minty. Same with cloves; they should feel oily to the touch and smell so strong they almost make your eyes water. In Ottawa, finding that level of quality means knowing which neighborhoods to hit.
Why the "Big Box" Spice Aisle is Failing You
Most people don’t realize that spices have a shelf life. It’s not that they "go bad" and become toxic, they just die. They lose their soul. The supply chain for massive national retailers is long. Those cloves might have been harvested in Indonesia, sat in a warehouse for a year, got packaged, sat in another warehouse, and finally landed on a shelf in Nepean. By the time you get them, the eugenol—the stuff that makes cloves taste like cloves—is mostly gone.
If you’re hunting for cardamom and cloves Ottawa locals who actually cook—like, really cook—usually head to places where turnover is high.
High turnover is the secret. If a store sells five kilos of cardamom a day, you’re getting the fresh shipment. If they sell one jar a month? You’re buying a relic.
The South Asian Connection in the West End
Honestly, if you aren't checking out the shops around Merivale or over in Kanata, you're missing out. Take Vaishali’s Super Store or Nanda’s. When you walk in, the smell hits you immediately. It’s not just one thing; it’s the collective power of hundreds of kilos of bulk spices.
When you buy cardamom here, you aren't getting three pods in a plastic box. You’re getting a bag. A big one. And it’s cheap. But more importantly, the pods are green. Deep, vibrant green. If your cardamom looks tan or straw-colored, it’s old. Or it was sun-bleached. Either way, it’s garbage for your chai or your curry.
The Science of the Scent
Let's get nerdy for a second. Cardamom ( Elettaria cardamomum ) contains a high concentration of cineole and limonene. These are delicate. Heat and light destroy them. This is why Ottawa's local specialty shops often keep their bulk spices in cooler, darker parts of the store or in heavy-duty opaque bags.
$$C_{10}H_{18}O$$
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That’s the formula for Eucalyptol (cineole). It’s what gives cardamom that cooling, medicinal lift. If you buy pre-ground cardamom, that compound is basically gone within forty-eight hours of the pod being cracked. You’re just eating fiber at that point.
Cloves are even more intense. They are the dried flower buds of the Syzygium aromaticum tree. They have the highest concentration of antioxidants of basically any food on the planet. When you’re looking for cardamom and cloves Ottawa has a few Middle Eastern markets, especially along Bank Street and in the East End near St. Laurent, that source "Hand-Picked Selected" (HPS) cloves. These are the ones where the "head" of the clove—the little ball on top—is still intact. If that’s missing, the flavor is compromised.
Exploring the Middle Eastern Hubs
If you find yourself in the East End, you have to go to Mid-East Food Centre. It’s an Ottawa institution at the corner of St. Laurent and Belfast. Their spice wall is legendary. You can find both the standard green cardamom and the smoky, moody black cardamom ( Amomum subulatum ).
Black cardamom is a different beast entirely. It’s dried over open flames. It smells like a campfire and leather. If you put that in a sweet rice pudding by mistake, you’ll ruin it. But in a hearty beef stew? It’s life-changing.
The Price Gap: Ottawa Markets vs. Supermarkets
I did a quick price comparison recently. A 30g jar of cardamom at a major "L" or "S" branded grocery store in Westboro was nearly ten dollars. Ten bucks!
At a local international market in the same neighborhood? You could get 200g for the same price. It’s a 600% markup for a product that is objectively worse. It’s actually wild when you think about it. People pay for the convenience of the shiny aisle and the glass jar, but they’re getting robbed of both money and flavor.
How to store your Ottawa spice haul
Once you get your cardamom and cloves Ottawa weather plays a factor. Our winters are bone-dry because of the furnace heat, and our summers are humid enough to make your hair double in size. This is bad for spices.
- Throw away the "pretty" clear spice rack that sits over your stove. The heat from the burners and the light from the window are spice killers.
- Use small mason jars.
- Keep them in a dark drawer.
- Only grind what you need for that specific meal.
A cheap coffee grinder—one you use only for spices—is the best twenty dollars you’ll ever spend. Grind your cloves and cardamom seeds right before they hit the pan. The difference in the finished dish isn't just "noticeable," it's transformative.
Beyond the Plate: Health and Tradition
It's not just about the taste. Many people in the Ottawa-Gatineau area use these spices for their traditional medicinal properties. Cloves have been used for centuries as a topical anesthetic for toothaches. Seriously, if you have a sore gum, press a clove against it. It works because of the eugenol.
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Cardamom is a classic digestive aid. In many cultures represented across our city—from the Lebanese community to the Somali community—offering coffee brewed with cardamom is a sign of hospitality. It’s meant to settle the stomach and freshen the breath after a heavy meal.
When you buy from local vendors like Kabul Bazaar or Adonis, you’re often tapping into a supply chain that understands these uses. They aren't just "ingredients"; they're part of a cultural fabric.
The "Hidden" Spots
Don't sleep on the smaller shops in Vanier or the little pockets of Carling Avenue. There are tiny grocers where the owner is also the person who did the importing. These are the spots where you find the really "oily" cloves. If you squeeze a clove and it feels brittle and snaps like dry wood without leaving a scent on your fingers, it’s spent. A good clove should feel slightly flexible, almost resinous.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest mistake? Using the whole pod in a way that makes it a "landmine."
We’ve all been there. You’re enjoying a beautiful biryani or a pilaf, you take a big bite, and—BAM. You bit into a whole green cardamom pod. It’s like a perfume bomb went off in your mouth. It’s too much.
In Ottawa’s high-end kitchens, chefs handle cardamom and cloves differently. They either:
- Infuse them into a liquid and then strain them out.
- Toast the pods until they puff up, then grind the seeds inside.
- Tie them in a cheesecloth "bouquet garni" so they can be fished out later.
If you’re making a chai at home—maybe you’re trying to replicate that specific spicy kick you get at some of the coffee shops in the Glebe—you need to crush the pods first. Don't leave them whole. You want the water to get inside the pod to extract the oils from the seeds.
The Sustainability Factor
Interestingly, there’s a growing movement in the spice trade toward "single-origin." While most of what you find in Ottawa’s bulk stores is commodity-grade (which is still great!), some specialty shops are starting to carry spices from specific estates.
Why does this matter? Because cardamom is labor-intensive. Every single pod is hand-picked. It’s the third most expensive spice in the world by weight, trailing only saffron and vanilla. Buying from reputable local sources often means better traceability than the anonymous "Product of Multiple Countries" labels you see on generic brands.
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Making the Most of Your Purchase
If you've gone through the trouble of sourcing high-quality cardamom and cloves Ottawa has plenty of ways to use them beyond just "curry."
Try this:
Next time you're making a simple syrup for cocktails or even just for your morning latte, throw in three cracked cardamom pods and two cloves while the sugar dissolves. Let it steep. It adds a depth that is incredibly sophisticated.
Or, if you’re roasting carrots or sweet potatoes—very common Ottawa winter staples—toss them in a bit of oil with ground cloves and cinnamon. The cloves bring a "warmth" that isn't "heat." It’s a trick used by professional caterers across the city to make simple root vegetables taste like a million bucks.
Where to go right now
If you’re reading this and you’re out of spices, don’t go to the nearest 24-hour convenience store. It's not worth it.
- West End: Nanda's or Vaishali's.
- Central: Herbs & Spice on Bank (for organic/premium options).
- East End: Mid-East Food Centre or any of the shops in the Cyrville area.
- South: Damas Supermarket on Bank Street South.
These places are the heart of Ottawa's food scene. They are where the "real" flavor lives.
Actionable Steps for Your Spice Cabinet
First, go to your kitchen and smell your spices. If your cardamom smells like nothing, toss it. It’s taking up space.
Second, make a list of the international grocers in your specific part of Ottawa. Commit to visiting one this weekend. Don't just buy the cardamom and cloves; look at the different varieties. See if they have the extra-large "Jumbo" green pods. They cost more, but the flavor density is unreal.
Third, stop buying pre-ground spices. Buy a cheap blade grinder. The sixty seconds it takes to grind your own cloves will do more for your cooking than a thousand-dollar set of pans ever could.
Finally, experiment with the ratio. Cloves are incredibly powerful. In a dish for four people, two cloves are often plenty. Cardamom is more forgiving, but still, start small. You can always add more, but you can't take it out once that floral cineole has permeated the sauce.
Ottawa's spice game is actually world-class if you know where to look. Get out of the "middle aisles" of the big chains and go find the real stuff. Your taste buds—and your wallet—will thank you.