If you are a fan of Indian cuisine and have tried making your own Indian food at home. In that case, you probably notice that turmeric is almost always present in your ingredient list, and there are big chances that you asked yourself why it is so expensive compared to other basic spices.
We are talking about turmeric powder in this article since most of the time, you will need it as powder, not the plant itself, which can be hard to find.
We like to eat a lot of Indian food even if we live in Romania, a country that doesn’t have too many ties with India.
We also noticed that the price of turmeric is going up, but we can’t cook several Indian foods without it.
Why is turmeric so expensive?
The bigger demand for and worldwide adoption of Indian Cuisine that has happened lately made turmeric way more expensive.
One other price factor is the hype around its medical use, especially in Asian countries. It is worth mentioning that many companies took advantage of this trend and found a great excuse to raise the price.
Also, if you add that in some foods like seafood Paella, you can substitute the saffron with turmeric for its color, it can be quite obvious why the price is more than maybe it should be.
Read also: Korma vs. Tikka Masala
How is turmeric powder made?
Turmeric powder is made following the next steps
-Turmeric roots are peeled and then washed very well.
-Slice them thinly to dry them faster
-Let them dry in a hot oven or a food dehydrator
-Grind the dried turmeric using a grinder or a blender
Once done, turmeric powder can last up to 12 months if stored properly, making its transportation fairly easy, which does not justify a high price.
How to store turmeric and turmeric powder?
If the prices continue to rise, it can be an idea to have a bulk of turmeric well stored for later usage. You can store the roots if you can buy them or if you need just the spice as most of us can store the powder.
Let’s see how to properly store both of them to keep them fresh for as long as we can.
Storing turmeric roots
Fresh turmeric roots can be stored in a refrigerator using a paper bag for two weeks. This most likely will not be enough if you want your turmeric to last a long time.
You can also freeze fresh turmeric roots. For this, it would be better to cut the roots into small pieces and place them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
They can last up to six months in the freezer. You can take them out, let them thaw, and dehydrate them if you want to do turmeric powder or use them raw.
Storing turmeric powder
Even though turmeric is very durable and can be stored in many places, there are a few things that you can do to make sure it stays fresh and last as long as possible.
-Turmeric powder should be stored in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.
-Homemade turmeric powder should be stored in an airtight container, don’t just simply let it into a plastic bag.
-Use opaque recipients that will bloc the sunlight to get through them.
-If you have store-bought turmeric that comes into a paper package, make sure you close it after you use it. I like to fold the top a few times and then put a hairpin on it.
Read Also: Why Is Fried Rice Yellow ?
Conclusion
So there are quite a few reasons that can get turmeric to be so expensive, but the rise in demand is probably the biggest one, followed by the hype around its medical use.
If you want to save some money you can buy it in a bulk and store it for up to a year, since most probably the demand will continue to rise and the price as well.
I hope after reading this article you know why turmeric powder can be a bit more expensive than other basic spices out there.
