Turmeric Is The Caribbean’s Spice Of Life

Turmeric Is The Caribbean’s Spice Of Life

Share to Linkedin Derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa and responsible for giving curry (and everything it touches) a yellow color, turmeric or the Golden Root is much more than just an agricultural commodity in the Caribbean“” with its plethora of medicinal, culinary, spiritual and economic uses“” many consider it to be the Caribbean's spice of life. Turmeric roots and turmeric powder Native to southern Asia and some Pacific islands, turmeric plants are harvested for their rhizomes or underground stems. These are either used fresh or are boiled and then dried, after which they are ground into a deep-orange-yellow powder. This process dates back at least a century in the Caribbean. "Indentured servants from India brought much more than their strong work ethic and colorful culture to add to the fabric of Caribbean culture. They also brought the gift of turmeric," says culinary anthropologist, Peter Ivey of the period between 1838 and 1917 when more than half a million Indians were taken to thirteen nations in the Caribbean to meet the need for plantation labor following the abolition of slavery. With the migration from India came a transfer not only of people, but the turmeric plant, and its cultural