Steenbergs Organic Turmeric

Steenbergs Organic Turmeric is yellow to yellow-brown and has an earthy, slightly bitter flavour, with a hint of warmth. Turmeric is a staple spice, used in Indian and Middle Eastern cookery.

Turmeric is not just for Indian foods. We love the Persian butter bean stew, baghali ghatogh, which combines dill with a little turmeric for one of our winter warming favourites.

Turmeric is a tropical rhizome, Curcuma longa. It has long, flat green leaves that grow from the root system. Turmeric’s leaves grow to about 1 m high. Turmeric rhizomes are like ginger in appearance and grow 5 – 8 cm long. The centre of the root is a deep orange-yellow colour. To process, the turmeric rhizomes are lifted, boiled for one hour to fix the colours, dried for 10 – 15 days then cleaned (called polishing) before being crushed and ground. Turmeric powder is a bright yellow, although it can be more orange-yellow and almost brown. The colour of turmeric comes from its natural curcumin colour; curcumin is understood to have natural health properties.

Axel’s Tasting Notes: Organic Turmeric – Aroma: earthy and citrussy. Flavour: earthy, sharp, bitter, spicy, and a deep warmth, with a sexy musky note.

Food Pairing: Curries, especially with lentils, added to coconut milk for Sri Lankan or Keralan fish curries, Persian butter bean stews, turmeric latte.