India produces nearly whole world’s Turmeric Finger crop and consume 80% of it. With its inherent qualities, Indian Turmeric Finger is considered the best in the world. A yellow spice with a warm and mellow flavor, Turmeric Finger is related to ginger. Modern Indian cooking employs Turmeric Finger liberally. It is added to nearly every dish, be it meat or vegetables. Yellow rice is popular on the Eastern islands of Indonesia; it derives its colour from fresh or dried Turmeric Finger. Western cuisine does not use Turmeric Finger directly, but it forms part of several spice mixtures and sauces; it is also used to impart a bright yellow colour to mustard paste.
Turmeric, basically a tropical plant of ginger family is the rhizome or underground stem, with a rough, segmented skin. The length of main rhizome is approximately 2.5 – 7 cm (1 – 3 inches) in length with a diameter of 2.5 cm (1 inch), with smaller tubers branching off. The color of rhizome is yellowish-brown with a dull orange interior and color of powder is bright yellow.