India is a land that abounds in variety and diversity. Variety in its spice and diverse in its culinary repertoire. The heritage of India's multicolored palette is really a heritage of spice. Since ancient times India has been and still is the treasure trove for spice lovers and spice merchants. Ask the ancient mariners where to find spice and they'd come sailing towards the Indian seas. Turmeric, pepper, cardamom, saffron, chilly, nutmeg, cinnamon,cummin....etc.

The trail of spices are endless as the desire to satisfy one's appetite. The global demand for spices and prospective business opportunities for spice merchants and manufacturers have multiplied in the recent years.

House of Aditya

'House of Aditya' is one of India's pioneering turmeric trading house with global expertise in the turmeric market and an extraordinary sense of commitment to the quality of its products. The company was founded in 1972 and today is a highly successful company with clients spread across the Indian Market.High growth and consistent profitability over the last few years has initiated new business ventures, making recent entry into the agro foods and instant masala market.

"Most people see the quality for what it is. We see the quality for what it can be!" says Mr.Hari Poddar, the Chairman and Managing Director. Driven by an internal fire to be the leader in the turmeric export marker, 'House of Aditya' is today one of the top companies in its field.

Turmeric - The taste of India

If cardamom is the queen of spices and pepper the black king, then turmeric is definitely the taste of India; Because without turmeric every Indian kitchen is bare and incomplete.

Considered sacred in every Indian household, turmeric is not only used for domestic culinary purposes, it also plays a vital role in medicine and in the manufacture of dyeing agents.

Origin
On one of his travels to China, 'Marco-Polo' discovered that turmeric was a fruit that resembles saffron, though it is actually nothing of that sort, but quite as good as saffron for practical purposes. He set the time for a major use of the spice in the west, where it frequently serves as a substitute for saffron.

Characteristics
Turmeric or Curcuma Longa is a member of the ginger family and is a handsome perennial with large lily-like leaves and clusters of flowers in spikes. A robust perennial grows to a height of 1 m ( 3 ft), and turmeric is usually propagated from 'figures' or small sections of rhizomes from the previous year's growth , Turmeric is most often sole dried and ground.

Properties:

Fresh
The rhizome or underground root has a rough, segmented , light brownish skin with a bright orange flesh inside. It consists of a thick part and several stubby 'figures'. These yield the best quality turmeric.

Dried
Turmeric is dried for export, during which time it loses about 75% of its original weight.

Ground
Mostly used and sold in this form. 'Turmeric's colour indicates its quality. The deeper the pigmentation, the better the spike.

Cultivation
The rhizomes grow best in a hot,moist climate. India is the main producer of turmeric. Other major producers include Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, South America and Caribbean.

Aroma and taste
Lightly aromatic, turmeric smells peppery and fresh with a hint of orange and ginger. It tastes pungent, bitter and musky by itself but adds great flavour when mixed with other ingredients.

Storage
Dried turmeric is ground to a brilliant yellow powder that is not only colourful but has a pungent warm earthy aroma and taste, reminiscent of an Indian bazaar, it is rarely available fresh, but may be bought dried or ground. It should be stored only in air-tight container free from light , since it will lose its flavour.Turmeric should be handled carefully because it will stain clothes and fingers.

Botanical Name : Curcuma Longa L.
Commercial part : Rhizome or underground stem.

Name in International Language
Spanish : Curcuma
French : Curcuma
German : Kurkuma gelbwurzel
Swedish : Gurkmeja
Arabic :Kurkum
Dutch :Geelwortel
Italian : Curcuma
Portuguese : Acafrao-da-India
Russian : Zholty Imbir
Chinese :Yu. Chin
India - Haldi.

Other Names
Salt of the Orient - Ancient history

Medicinal properties
Research reveals that turmeric strengthens the gall bladder, inhibits dangerous blood clotting, reduces liver toxins, helps the liver metabolize fats and so aids weight loss. The Thais use it for cobra bites, the Indians use it as an antiseptic and added to ointments it is used to treat skin diseases.Turmeric is used as a mild digestive and a remedy for liver ailments. It is used freely in Indian medicines. Plasters of it are applied in cases buries, as a dry dressing on open wounds, and as a face pack for its antiseptic properties.

Turmeric a Cosmetic
In India women apply turmeric on their faces and their entire body . Because it is believed that turmeric applied on unwanted facial hair frustrates its growth and bathing with turmeric water gives a golden glow to the complexion. In Biblical times, turmeric was used as a perfume and today slices of dried rood are used in perfumery, especially the Indian talc called abir.

Culinary Turmeric
Turmeric is an essential spice in all Indian food. It adds a warm, mild aroma and distinctive yellow colour to foods. It is used in curry powders not only for imparting colour and flavour to the curries, but also because of its preservative qualities. It not only gives a rich appetizing colour , it also sets the taste buds drooling. Be it sambhar, rice, scrambled eggs, briyani, chilli chicken, paneer masalam, potato roast, soups ... a pinch of turmeric stirred into any dish not only gives it a golden complexion but also gives it a delightful flavour. The spice is widely used in Moroccan cooking especially in rice's, British use it in piccalilli and chutneys. Because turmeric has a strong flavour, it should always be used in moderation. The leaves are highly aromatic and are good thrown into soups, but should be removed before serving. In Thailand, the young shoots are used as a vegetable. In Indonesia, the leaves are used to flavour fish dishes.

Turmeric as a dying agent
Its brilliant gold yellow colour makes it an excellent dying agent. In India and China, turmeric is used as a dye for cloth.

Indian turmeric
In India, 16 major regional types are recognized for trading purposes. They are related to traditional and familiar sources and nearness of maker to production.
To mention a few grades, Aleppo Finger (Kerala), Erode Finger from Tamil nadu, Rajapuri Turmeric from Sangli (Maharashtra), Nizamabad, and Cuddapah Turmeric form Andhra pradesh are well accepted in the Indian market.

The house of aditya feels privileged to be one among the leading marketers of Erode and Salem turmeric, providing the highest standards of dried turmeric to the export market. The process involved is a traditional curing method whereby the curcumin content and oleoresin stays to the maximum extent. Aditya Powder Turmeric is available in the following grade designations as 'whole' and 'Ground' catering to any quality specification.

Turmeric Trade
Turmeric is exported in whole, in powder form and as oleoresin with rich ciramin contents and other inherent qualities. Indian turmeric is considered the best in the world. Today India is the largest exporter of turmeric to countries like Middle East, the UK, USA, and Japan.

Well accepted Indian Varieties
Allepy Finger
Erode Turmeric Finger and Bulb (Hybrid variety)
Salem Turmeric Finger and Bulb
Rajapore Turmeric
Sangli Turmeric
Nizamabad Bulb.