The first time I took a cautious sniff of Diaspora Company’s “single origin” turmeric, my eyes automatically shut, closing off the rest of the world. My lashes fluttered, and I felt a new passageway open up in my brain, to a world I didn’t know existed — where turmeric could smell this danged good.
It smells fresh, as if it was just milled. And potent — it’s all turmeric, nothing else. There’s a scent of insistent yet delicate mustard, something young and grassy, and loam. The color puts all other turmerics I’ve used to shame, leaning more toward orange-marigold than yellow. The aroma was so intoxicating that when my parents were here to visit, they asked me to find out if they could buy it in India! (Not yet, but soon, the owner tells me.) I sent them home with a jar.
Sana Javeri Kadri, the founder is probably the most passionate person I know about spices and it shows up in this turmeric! They only mill the turmeric every three months which is why your jar is so potently aromatic. It’s grown organically and sustainably on a fourth-generation farm, growing an heirloom variety, called Pragati. It contains 4.7% curcumin, the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that we’re all trying to get into our bodies… according to Diaspora, most other brands contain 2.5% or less (some contain none!).
If you’re looking to get your hands on some, you can order directly from the website. And keep your eyes open because up next, Sana is working on sourcing pesticide-free crops of my favourite spice ever: cardamom!
