Cardamom-Based Beverages

The constant demand for natural foods and the continuous attention to diet and health has led to a growing demand for functional food and drinks on the market over the years. Fruits and vegetables constitute natural functional food due to their fiber content, micronutrients, such as minerals and vitamins, and bioactive compounds. Functional beverages fully meet the demands of the consumer. Functional beverage consumption has a crucial role in human health, allowing the possibility to incorporate a broad spectrum of nutrients and bioactive compounds into functional beverages, i.e., antioxidants, dietary fibers, prebiotics, proteins, peptides, unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. This chapter aims to illustrate the traditional use of cardamom in the preparation of beverages and to show the applications of cardamom in formulating alternative functional beverages and the possible beneficial effects they can bring.