Alleppey Turmeric is renowned for its high curcumin content - more than 5%, unlike Madras turmeric, which contains around 2%. It has a darker hue and is commonly used in Indian cuisine.

It has a slightly earthy aroma with delicate top notes of lemon and mint, and its flavor reminiscent of its relative - ginger.

Turmeric is a robust perennial plant originating from South Asia, where it has been valued for its aroma, color, and medicinal properties since ancient times. It is one of the cheapest spices, yet highly valued throughout the region in rituals and celebrations, whether to color rice for Indonesian weddings or to dye cowhide.

Fresh and dried rhizomes are used.

It is an important ingredient in Indian spice blends - masalas, curry powder, and pastes, as well as in ras al hanout.

It pairs well with beans, eggplants, eggs, fish, lentils, meat, poultry, rice, root vegetables, and spinach.

It combines well with chili, cloves, coconut milk, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, fennel, galangal, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, mustard, ground peppercorn, and paprika.

TASTE OF TURMERIC

Fresh turmeric is crisp, with a ginger-like, citrusy aroma and a pleasant earthy flavor with citrus undertones. Dried turmeric has a complex, rich, woody aroma with floral, citrus, and ginger notes. Its taste is slightly bitter and sour, moderately pungent and warm.

PURCHASE AND STORAGE

Fresh turmeric is available in Asian markets. Store it in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator, in the vegetable drawer for up to 2 weeks; you can also freeze it.

Dried turmeric can last for more than 2 years if stored in a tightly closed container.

Alleppey and Madras are the highest quality ground turmeric. Alleppey contains a high concentration of essential oil and curcumin (the substance that gives it its yellow color), giving it a darker hue and a more intense flavor. If stored in a tightly closed container, it will retain its flavor for up to 1 year.

CULINARY USE

Turmeric binds and harmonizes with other spices it appears with in various combinations. Use it moderately.

Fresh turmeric is used in Southeast Asia in spice pastes made with lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, tamarind, chili peppers, and sometimes with a paste of dried shrimp and nuts. Chopped or grated, it is added to laksas, casseroles, and vegetable dishes.

The juice squeezed from crushed turmeric flavors and colors rice dishes for festive meals in Indonesia and Malaysia. Fragrant leaves are used for wrapping food in Malaysia, and shoots are eaten as vegetables in Thailand.

In India and the West Indies, dried, ground turmeric, combined with other spices, forms the base for masalas, curry powder, and pastes. It imparts a warm taste and yellow-orange color to many regional vegetable, bean, and lentil dishes.

It appears in North African tagines and casseroles and is most significant in the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout and in harira, the national soup.

In Iran, turmeric and dried limes flavor gheimeha, a thick sauce served with rice dishes. In the West, turmeric is used as a colorant for cheeses, margarines, or mustard. It is widely used in pickling cucumbers and is equally popular in Eastern and Western cuisines.