Spice Origin turmeric contains a higher Curcumin content and is therefore higher quality product. Curcumin % of between 3-5% is considered high quality, and this latest harvest is from some farms about 30km south of Karunapuram (our last batch) where the mineral content of the soil is greater, producing Turmeric with a curcumin content of an astonishing 4.0%.

As always our turmeric has been steam sterilised, and analysed for presence of heavy metals like lead.

Turmeric is grown throughout Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as well as further north in India too. But the fertile soils of the western ghats produce a rhizome that contains a higher Curcumin content.

The crop is generally planted in April/May and will produce lush green leaves as the rhizomes grow beneath the soil. The plant is generally ready for harvest in Jan-March. The leaves will turn brown and die away and at this point, the rhizomes can be harvested.

Our turmeric crop is then taken to a certified organic processing plant. This involves an initial manual sorting, when the fingers are removed from the ‘hearts’ of each rhizome. Most of the hearts are kept aside to use as seeds for the next crop. The fingers have a large core to them and therefore give a higher Curcumin content than the heart. This is why the grade we supply is known as Allepey Finger Turmeric.

The rhizome fingers are then washed before being put into large steel barrels where they are pressure-steamed for 30-40 minutes. This softens up the fibres in the turmeric. The fingers are then laid out in the sun to dry and this process will take 5-6 days. During this process the turmeric will lose about 75% of its weight as the precious Curcumin concentrates into a hardened form.

It is then steam sterilised, before being processed through the pulveriser to turn it into the golden orange powder that gives colour and depth to our delicious curries.

In 2016 many spice sellers in the US had to recall their turmeric due to lead contamination. This happens when the turmeric is grown in lead contaminated soil, and can be very hazardous to your health. On that basis we now have all our turmeric tested for heavy metal contamination and you can see by the report, you can trust that the Turmeric you buy from us is lead free!

You will also note the high % of the essential mineral, Copper. Copper helps with the formation of collagen, increases the absorption of iron and plays a role in energy production and is vital for our survival.