Turmeric aka local saffron at Ranweli Spice Garden

 Turmeric( sri lankan saffron)

 

Affordable saffron

Turmeric known in Europe as Curcuma, is a rhizomatous herbaceous plant which belongs to the ginger family. In sri lanka for the most part roots of Turmeric is used in cooking and  medicine. people also call this Sri lankan or local saffron. This is because it has most of the attributes of Indian saffron or original saffron which is a luxury. Since Indian saffron is a luxury that many people cannot afford, most of the time people preffer sri lankan saffron which is known as turmeric.

 How Turmeric is processed in sri lanka and India

 

Turmeric plants

   

Mature Turmeric roots can be planted and these roots will turn into a small plant in about 6 months. When Turmeric roots are ready leaves of the plant start to dry and then die. when all the leaves are dead we know that the time is ripe for picking.

These roots are dried  for about 30 minutes in the sun, afterwards they are need to be powdered untill it becomes orange-yellow. And this powder is used all over the world for coloring and as a spice in food and curries.

Tumeric powder

Turmeric has been in use in sri lanka and India for many years and is part and parcel of Ayurvedic or indigenous medicine. Ayurvedic doctors prescribe turmeric powder for skin deseases like psoriasis and gout.  In western medicine they have discovered a pain killer for cancer using turmeric powder. 

A long time ago Turmeric was known as a color and then for its therapeutic and medicinal properties. Turmeric is known as a holy spice in India and has been used as part of different Hindu functions for centuries. Hindu people in Sri lanka also use it for cleansing purposes since turmeric is a good germ killer. Turmeric has assumed an imperative part in Hindu mysticism. The robes of the Hindu priests were generally hued with a yellow color made of turmeric. During Tamil celebration Pongal, an entire turmeric plant with new rhizomes is offered as a thanksgiving to Suryan, the sun god. 

Many are the uses of turmeric when it comes to medicine and religion. As far as sri lanka goes turmeric is a spice that sri lankans cannot cook without. In almost all the dishes of sri lanka there is turmeric or kaha(kaha is the term locals use for turmeric). If you cook a curry with no turmeric in it and serve it to a sri lankan he will be able to tell you that the dish is missing turmeric. That is the kind of place turmeric has when it comes to sri lankans.

In sri lanka there is this potato like plant called 'mannyok'. In some countries this plant is known as 'cassava'. From those days there was a belief among sri lankans that this plant has a poison that can even capable of killing an elephant. And when they cooked this food they advised everyone to cook it without closing the pot and with lots of turmeric powder. Because from those days people knew that turmeric is a good germ killer and an anti poison agent.

Chilli at Ranweli Spice Garden

Benefits of Chilly

chilly at ranweli spice garden

Chilli plant is a small, bush around 1m in height. this plant is native to Mexico where chilly was used as one of the important spices when it comes to cooking. gradually it spread throughout Europe and became famous in Asia too. Chilli also is one of the widely grown spices in Sri Lanka when it comes to export. Chilli Powder is something people in sri lanka can't do without.

Chillies can be picked while they are green, or once they mature and dry on the plant itself. But mostly chillies are collected once they turn red. They are then  dried until 20 per cent of the skin's moisture is left.
Inside chilli  there are  white round seeds. These seeds make chillies more spicy.

Both red and green Chillies, are rich in vitamin-C. Vitamin C is a good cancer prevention agent. It is needed for the collagen blend inside the human body. Collagen is one of the principle  protein needed for keeping up the uprightness of veins, skin, organs, and bones. Consumption of food rich in vitamin C improves immunity, improves immunity against cold. Chilies also have a measure of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is a critical part of cell and body liquids that helps controlling the heart rate.