Two turmerics, both worth naming

Sangli haldi is the everyday one: bright, earthy, GI-tagged since 2018, right for dals, sabzis and general cooking. Lakadong is the strong one: 7–12% curcumin, deeper colour and aroma, worth it for haldi doodh and anywhere you want turmeric to actually work. Many kitchens keep both.

Geographical Indication registration legally ties a product name to its region of origin — turmeric sold as Lakadong is supposed to come from the Jaintia Hills, the way Darjeeling tea must come from Darjeeling. It protects both the buyer and the farming community that built the reputation.

Because we do not polish it or add colour. Some market turmeric is buffed with polishing agents or, in the worst cases, dyed with synthetic yellows. Real unpolished haldi is a warm, earthy gold — and it colours your cooking gradually rather than instantly.

Start with half your usual quantity — at three to four times the curcumin of ordinary turmeric, a little goes further. Turmeric is fat-soluble, so it works best cooked in ghee or oil, or stirred into warm milk, with a pinch of black pepper as the traditional companion.