Turmeric Powder

What is Turmeric Powder

Turmeric Powder (pronounced "tur-mer-ick"), Curcuma longa is also called ground turmeric, curcumin powder, or ground tumeric.

Turmeric Powder has an essential oil of 1.0% - 6.9% and a minimum of 3% Curcumin.

Turmeric is a bright yellow spice powder that gives curry its yellow color, it has been used in India for thousands of years as both a spice and medicinal herb. Native to tropical South Asia, Turmeric comes from the root of a plant in the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric and is said to have strong anti-inflammatory properties.
 

What does Turmeric Powder Taste Like

Mildly sour and bitter, slightly pungent, warm and musky.
 

How do You Use Turmeric Powder

Turmeric is a central ingredient in Masalas, curry powders and pastes. In India, Turmeric helps in digesting the complex carbohydrates found in most dishes. In Indian and southeast Asian cooking Turmeric is an important seasoning used to add flavor and color to curries of all kinds (but especially vegetable curries), desserts, fried fish, lentils, pickles, rice, soup and vegetables like cauliflower and potatoes.

In Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai cooking, Turmeric is added to yellow and red curries, laksas (a spicy noodle soup), stews, yellow rice (nasi kuning) and vegetable-based dishes.

Many Persian dishes use turmeric as a starter ingredient and when combined with dried limes is used to flavor a Middle Eastern stew of meat, lentils, onions and tomatoes that is served over rice. In Lebanon it is used to color Sfouf cake. In South Africa, turmeric gives boiled white rice a rich, golden color.

In the US, it's often used commercially in baked goods, biscuits, canned beverages, cake icings, cereals, dairy products, ice cream, mustard, orange juice, sauces, yellow cakes and yogurt.

Some of our favorite recipes with Turmeric include Rajma, Moroccan Soup, and Pineapple Sauerkraut.

Bright yellow turmeric both looks and tastes fantastic on cauliflower and potatoes and is instrumental in giving the traditional cauliflower and potato curry, aloo gobi, its distinctive appeal. It adds richness to both dill and bread-and-butter pickles. Add turmeric to marinades for chicken or fish, or mix with yogurt, ginger, and some lime juice for a savory dipping sauce for spicy foods. Use turmeric with beans, eggs, meat, rice and spinach.

Turmeric works well in combination with other herbs and spices like bay leaves, cilantro, clove, coconut, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, dill, fennel seed, galangal, ginger, lemongrass, mustard seeds, nutmeg, paprika and pepper.
 

What is a Substitute for Turmeric Powder

When substituting for color, you can use Saffron or Annatto in place of turmeric. Keep in mind both of these spices are more red than yellow. If you want a spice with a similar earthy flavor, try Cumin, but be aware that cumin is a very aromatic, strong-tasting spice so use it sparingly.
 

History of Turmeric Powder

The use of turmeric can be traced back more than 3,500 years to the Vedic culture in India, where it was used as a culinary spice and in some religious ceremonies¹. Turmeric has a long medical history according to Sanskrit medical treatises and the ancient Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine². Ayurvedic medicine, called "Ayurveda" for short, is one of the world's oldest holistic or "whole-body" healing systems. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India and is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the body, mind and spirit.

Archaeological digs near New Delhi (the capital city of India) revealed evidence of garlic, ginger, and turmeric residue in pots that dated back to 2500 BC³. During the Vedic period (1500 - 500 BC) turmeric was referred to in India as "the golden spice" or "the spice of life."⁴ Sun Gods were a large part of worship and ritual during this time. The vibrant color of turmeric was associated with the color of the sun and thus rituals around sun worship often incorporated the rhizome. Turmeric was also common in fertility rituals and spiritual purification rituals during this period.

The key role of long-distance trade in the transformation of cuisines worldwide has been well-documented since the Roman era (31 BC - 476 AD), but there is growing evidence of spice trade between South Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean existing during the Bronze Age (3300 BC to 1200 BC). Microremains and proteins preserved in the dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) of 16 individuals from the site of Tel Megiddo and the Early Iron Age (1200 BC - 600 BC) site of Tel Erani in present-day Israel show the earliest direct evidence to date of turmeric, banana and soy outside of South and East Asia⁵.

Turmeric was transported by sea routes and reached China in the 600s AD with turmeric being mentioned in writings during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD). Turmeric was introduced to East Africa during the 700's via caravan routes controlled by Berber, Bedouin, and Jewish traders. Marco Polo, who travelled extensively along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295, wrote about seeing turmeric growing not only in China but on Sumatra (one of the islands of western Indonesia) and along India’s Malabar Coast⁶.

Turmeric appeared in Hannah Glasse's 1747 cookbook, The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (the best-selling recipe book in England in that century). An Indian pickle recipe called for turmeric while a later edition calls for turmeric in a recipe for Indian curry⁷.

In modern day times, Americans have become hyper aware of turmeric and its potential health benefits, attributing to the surge in popularity of Golden Milk all across the United States. India consumes nearly 80% of all the turmeric grown in the world.
 

Turmeric Cultivation

A perennial herb with underground rhizomes, Turmeric thrives in loamy or alluvial fertile (along river and coastlines), well-drained soil, with a frost-free climate⁸. Turmeric crop is believed to have a need for 15-20 irrigations in heavy soils and 35-40 in light soils. Moisture stress affects the growth and development of the plant especially during the rhizome bulking stage. Drip irrigation is proved to be ideal for Turmeric and the water requirement is precisely controlled⁹. Light shade is best while excessive shade tends to reduce the yield.

Plants are reseeded from some of the rhizomes that are harvested from the previous growing season². Sowing takes place between April and August, depending on the cultivar, with seed rhizomes that are either whole or split into two pieces, each having one bud. The bud on the seed rhizome sends an upward shoot within 15 days of sowing under irrigated conditions. New leaves appear every other week with each larger than the previous¹⁰. The plant can reach a height of 3 feet or more and as the plant begins to mature, and if left unattended, can produces tall, white and sometimes pink flower spikes. Flowering begins in September and is an undesirable feature as they retard the growth of the rhizomes. The roots arise from the rhizome with the mother rhizome sending out numerous long lateral branches which in turn produce additional branches, forming a cluster of corm and fingers within the top 6-8" of soil. Three to four hoeings and weeding is done at intervals. The crop is ready for harvesting 8-10 months after sowing when the lower leaves begin turning yellow while the stems start drying out and falling over¹¹.

At harvest the land is ploughed and the rhizomes are then gathered. Harvested rhizomes are cleaned of mud and other debris. Fingers are separated from mother rhizomes. Freshly harvested turmeric rhizomes undergo several postharvest operations, including curing, drying, polishing, and milling. The mother rhizomes and the fingers are cured separately. Curing involves boiling of the rhizomes in fresh water for 45 minutes to an hour until they become soft. The cooking of turmeric is to be done within 2-3 days after harvest. The cooked fingers/mother rhizomes are either mechanically dried or spread on bamboo mats or cement floor for drying in the sun. It takes 10-15 days for the rhizomes to become completely dry. Dried turmeric has a poor appearance and rough dull color outside the surface with scales and root bits. Smoothening and polishing the outer surface by manual or mechanical rubbing improves the appearance. Manual polishing consists of rubbing the dried turmeric fingers on a hard surface. Mechanical polishing is done in a rotating metal mesh drum. Polishing is effected by abrasion of the rhizomes against the outer mesh walls as well as by mutual rubbing against each other as they roll inside the drum¹².

The leading commercial producers of turmeric in 2020 include India (63% of the world's total exports), Vietnam (5.4%), Myanmar (5.3%), Indonesia (2.5%), and China (2.0%)¹³.
 

Regions and Grades of Turmeric

There are two primary regions in India where Turmeric is grown -- Chennai (pronounced "chuh-nai" formerly known as Madras) in southeastern India and Alleppey (pronounced "uh-lay-pee) located in the farthest reaches of southwestern India. The Chennai grown Turmeric (Madras) has up to 2.0% essential oil with up to 2.0% curcumin and is preferred by the British and Middle Eastern markets for its more intense, brighter and lighter yellow color. Alleppey grown Turmeric has 3.5% to 5.5% essential oil with 3.0% to 7.0% curcumin and is predominantly imported by the United States, where users prefer it as a spice and a food colorant¹⁴. Curcumin gives the rhizome its orangish-yellow coloring and this color level is also an indication of its quality. Lower quality turmeric is more brownish in color.

Turmeric powder is ground from the plant's rhizome. The rhizomes mature beneath the foliage in the ground. Turmeric's rhizome is tuberous, with a rough yellowish-brown skin while the interior is a orangish-yellow color.

Grading is a critical step in the processing of turmeric as higher quality grades command greater prices. Turmeric grading is done at three levels - bulbs, splits, and fingers. Bulbs are from the central mother rhizomes, which are ovate in shape and are of shorter length and having larger diameter than the fingers. Splits are broken bulbs that were damaged during harvesting. Fingers are lateral branches or secondary rhizomes from the mother rhizomes, their size varies from 1" to 3" in length and are about 1/2" in diameter¹⁵. The "splits and bulbs" grade tend to be less expensive and of a lower quality (less flavor, color and volatile oil) are more fibrous and difficult to grind.

We carry the higher quality Turmeric "Fingers" which are appendages that are separated from the main rhizome. These are then broken into 1" to 3" lengths." The "fingers" possess a greater curcumin content and more flavor because of their higher volatile oil, which provides a superior quality turmeric for grinding.
 

Where is Our Turmeric From

India.
 

Hungry for More Information

Flavor Characteristics of Spices
Indian Spices and Seasonings
Volatile Oils of Spices
What is Curry

References

1 Warrington, I. (2018). Horticultural Reviews, Volume 46 (1st ed.). Wiley.

2 Benzie, I. F. F., & Wachtel-Galor, S. (2011). Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects, Second Edition (Oxidative Stress and Disease Book 28) (2nd ed.). CRC Press.

3, 7 Avey, T. (2015, March 9). History of Turmeric | The History Kitchen. PBS Food. Retrieved January 30, 2022.

4 Ravindran, P. N., Babu, N. K., & Sivaraman, K. (2007). Turmeric: The genus Curcuma (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles)(1st ed.). CRC Press.

5 Scott, A., Power, R. C., Altmann-Wendling, V., Artzy, M., Martin, M. A. S., Eisenmann, S., Hagan, R., Salazar-García, D. C., Salmon, Y., Yegorov, D., Milevski, I., Finkelstein, I., Stockhammer, P. W., & Warinner, C. (2020). Exotic foods reveal contact between South Asia and the Near East during the second millennium BCE. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), e2014956117.

6 Nabhan, G. P. (2020). Cumin, Camels, and Caravans. Amsterdam University Press.

8 Turmeric growing information. (n.d.). Green Harvest. Retrieved January 30, 2022.

9 HOW MUCH WATER DOES MY CROP NEED? Part 9. Turmeric. (2020, February 11). Jain Irrigation Systems. Retrieved March 2, 2022.

10, 11 Ilyas, M. (1978). The Spices of India-II . Economic Botany, 32(3), 238–263.

12, 14 Tumeric . (n.d.). Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

13 Dordea, C. (2020). Turmeric (curcuma) (HS: 091030) Product Trade, Exporters and Importers | OEC. OEC - The Observatory of Economic Complexity. Retrieved February 1, 2022.

15 Chougala, M. R., & Ramachandra, A. C. (2021). Turmeric Grading on Principle Characteristics. IJSRD, 8(10), 398–402.