A CRAZE in Australia is curcumin or turmeric capsules for almost every ailment! Turmeric is touted as the “new” health miracle and recommended for its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal properties for almost everything! From digestive disorders, prevention of prostrate cancer to healing of wounds, coughs and colds and scar removal.
Tumeric, haldi or cago as its known in Fiji has been part of Indian cuisine for thousands of years and gives the yellow colour in curries! Though curry stains are easily removed with soap, water and sunlight it’s very annoying to drop curry on your clothes when you are in a rush! The colour is often deep gold and is widely used as dyes.
Our ancestors must have known the benefits of this very potent root to ensure it’s a key ingredient in almost every Indian food.
My 89-year-old dada, Ram Sagar says in the olden days most of the hills around Fiji were covered with this turmeric or haldi and they would collect some roots every week when they collected firewood. The women of the house would grate the fresh root and use it for cooking, there was no need for the dried powder version.
His wife, 86-year-old Bimla Wati, says fresh turmeric has much better taste and aroma and gave dhal and curries a unique flavour. She says they always have a few planted in their gardens to have the fresh supply.
We have discovered that even today many hills that have forest canopy are still covered with cago or haldi rhizomes. Almost every household in Fiji has turmeric in its pantry and almost all the haldi used in Fiji is imported!
Villages in Ra and Macuata say they have capacity to prepare tonnes of fresh turmeric. However they cannot access markets as we import the ready processed versions!
Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterpsrises & Development (FRIEND), a homegrown NGO that works with communities on sustainable livelihoods, begins its work by identifying key resources available. For the communities living in interior areas of Ra and Macuata, turmeric is a readily available resource.
FRIEND now packages this superherb from our communities into spice jars that’s brought to your nearest supermarket by our distributing partners Motibhai & Company Ltd.
Villagers in Ra and Macuata collect the roots, clean and boil these before drying for a week, these are collected, ground then kept in airtight containers to retain its aroma and flavour.
Eremaya Ratawa, our organics officer from Macuata, says he remembers his father collecting cago and teaching them how to prepare the root for family consumption. He said after being boiled in big pots and dried for a week they would take their stock for grinding in town. The family would keep some for use and distributed the rest to friends and families.
Most families who know about herbs trust the turmeric produced in Fiji as a pure product.
Dr Vijay Krishna from Brisbane takes multiple kilogram packs of Fiji grown tumeric each time she travels to Fiji to distribute to friends and families in Australia! We get orders from visiting families to prepack their orders for pick-up.
Purity of the product is particularly important when turmeric is used as a beauty product or for skin application for sprains and scar removal. Any added residue can cause itch especially to brides and grooms during Indian weddings!
Out of three-day wedding ceremonies, first two days are dedicated to massaging of the bride and groom with pure turmeric with mustard oil to beautify them and to ensure a glowing couple on their special day.
So for weddings, families look for as pure a product as they can find and we have constant orders both for fresh as well as newly ground pure turmeric. Turmeric is a key ingredient in most indian beauty products.
Growing up, I remember if anyone in the family had fractures, injuries or sprains, our elders would make paste from turmeric, gently heat it and wrap around the wound with onions to take away the pain, swelling and aid with healing.
Turmeric can also be used against coughs and colds. A favourite hot drink for fevers and colds is known as sont. In ghee turmeric is heated, mixed with ginger, pepper, cumin seeds and milk is added and simmered. Sugar or honey is added for taste . I still use this as an immune booster.
During my travels, I carry FRIEND’s Fijistyle turmeric and ginger spice jars and simply add with water and milk and microwave in any hotel room to give the immune system a boost.
After child delivery every new mother is given sont in our tradition and that drink is really tasty as many other herbs are added to lift the mood of new mothers! Turmeric is said to improve the healing after delivery.
Tumeric, our ancient herb known for its healing properties has now been found by scientists. There are many research documents detailing benefits of turmeric and the world has embraced it for its health properties.
Turmeric , a wonder herb, used in every household and growing organically all around Fiji now is brought to you in a FRIEND’s Fiji style spice jar in its purest form at a supermarket near you.
* Sashi Kiran is the founding chief executive officer for Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises & Development (FRIEND) www.friendfiji.com. Views expressed are hers and not of this newspaper.
