3 Kinds of Turmeric in Vietnam: Fresh, Dried and Turmeric Finger

25 July 2024

Turmeric is a staple spice in every kitchen for its infusing ability. This is an easy-to-grow plant, and Vietnam is a favorable country for turmeric cultivation due to the ideal climate conditions. For a long time, people have grown turmeric and made these roots into many forms. In Vietnam, turmeric comes in 3 distinct kinds: fresh, dried, and finger turmeric. This post will discuss the 3 forms of versatile spice.

1. Fresh Turmeric

Fresh turmeric root is a bright orange, knobby rhizome. Sometimes, turmeric closely resembles ginger root. It has a warm, peppery flavor with a slightly bitter undertone and an earthy aroma. Fresh turmeric infuses a beautiful touch of color and a warm note to dishes. This is the uniqueness of this spice that people love. In terms of health, fresh turmeric contains the compound curcumin. This curcumin compound has many effects on the body such as: being rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, helping the brain, digestion and heart health… Besides curcumin, turmeric may also have a higher concentration of volatile oils that contribute to its flavor and aroma.

2. Dried Turmeric

Dried turmeric is another form of turmeric. Fresh turmeric undergoes a drying process, transforming it from a fresh root to a golden dried turmeric with an intensified flavor. Dried turmeric contains 2 forms: whole dried and sliced dried turmeric. The advantage of dried turmeric lies in its long shelf life and concentrated flavor. It forms the main ingredient of many spice blends ( in some variations of Vietnamese five-spice mix). Besides, dried turmeric adds a warm, earthy depth to marinades for meats and seafood.

About sliced dried turmeric, people make this spice by slicing the fresh turmeric fingers and then drying them. The drying process focuses on the flavor and extends the shelf life. Sliced dried turmeric is often ground into a fine powder, which is widely used as a spice and natural food coloring. It appears darker than fresh turmeric and has a more intense flavor profile.

3. Turmeric Finger

Finally, we encounter finger turmeric, the raw and unprocessed form. As its name, finger turmeric consists of the whole turmeric root, in an elongated, finger-like shape with a rough brown color. People often export this form of turmeric due to its longer shelf life and higher curcumin content. While primarily an export product, people can use finger turmeric similarly to fresh turmeric in home cooking, offering the purest turmeric experience.