Turmeric in Jamaica

Turmeric, the beautiful yellow root native to India, serves as a primary staple in Asian curry dishes and has been commonly used around the world for both its flavorful and medicinal magic that warms our hearts and stomachs. Interestingly, this herb harnesses amazing health benefits for the cardiovascular and digestive systems. It is a prized herb in ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine that cleanses the blood, expels intestinal gas, heals wounds and helps to boost energy levels.

I’m thankful for our ancient ancestors who did an investigation to dig under the soil and discover that turmeric has yellow roots. The intelligence of wild nature produces a combination of colors, known in Yoruba language as iwontunwonsi. These color combinations are a testament to the wisdom that resides within the womb of the Earth, representing both beauty and function. 

Yellow is the glorious color of sunshine. Its enlightening and uplifting nature brings a spark to our eyes and a soothing feeling like no other color. Yellow ignites courage, creativity, optimism, strength and higher wisdom. These are all quantities that we’ve utilized in the African Diaspora to endure the violence of colonization. The color yellow harnesses the power of the Sun — just as we are people of the Sun. This explains why turmeric is loved and appreciated in the Afro-Caribbean where indigenous knowledge builds the foundation for the sustenance and longevity of native communities.

In recent years, I’ve been interested to learn more about my Jamaican heritage and native land. My ancestors arrived to the Caribbean from Ghana through the transatlantic slave trade and eventually migrated to Florida where they acquired land for farming, built their own house and managed a family business selling agricultural food products. While creating visual art and herbal remedies with turmeric, I was curious about the historical journey that contributed to its arrival in Jamaica.

Turmeric was introduced and naturalized to parts of Africa and the Caribbean through colonial trade routes, such as Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. These forms of exchange expanded local access to food and medicinal plants. The process that initiated the voyage of turmeric across the seas began prior to the colonial era. By the time this spice found its home in the islands, many Africans had already arrived in Jamaica.

It all started with the Black Plague. During the Middle Ages between 476 A.D. and 1450 A.D., European civilization suffered from many severe illnesses. Their towns were extremely polluted with trash, feces and urine that spread fatal diseases. Their urban infrastructure was not sustainable enough to support the healthy development of their families. This emergency placed them in desperate need of medicinal herbs from tropical regions such as India and Africa. 

Around this time, Europeans began to travel and colonize other parts of the world in search of plants that could be brought back to their land in hopes of ensuring their survival. The Silk Road opened a gateway for international commerce on a vast scale. The plants that were exchanged through the Spice Trade significantly influenced agriculture, household practices and traditional cuisine across the globe. Some of these spices include cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, star anise, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper and beloved turmeric. 

While developing networks of economic prosperity, this trade allowed European groups such as the British and Portuguese to infiltrate and control many regions on the Asian continent. As cotton and tea added value to the lives of Europeans, the British became more demanding and dominating in their pursuit to obtain medicinal plants. 

The vast supply chain that eventually contributed to industrialization in North America originated from these early systems of exchange. There is a direct connection between the Silk Road and the modern import of commodified goods in the United States that comprise the majority of our food supply. This explains why we’ve transitioned from indigenous ways of sourcing from our local environment and sustainable living.

In the 1700s, trade routes were established between Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America that transported tons of herbs and spices each year. From India, turmeric found its way to the Caribbean islands. The British exported Indian indentured servants for cheap labor on sugarcane and rice plantations to make up for a shortage of enslaved Africans. They brought turmeric with them. 

The workers agreed to go based on the hope of finding a better life than the poverty, oppression and corruption that had begun to proliferate in India as a result of colonial influence. During the 1800s, turmeric landed in Jamaica as they introduced their culinary traditions to the island. Turmeric thrived here because the tropical climate is very similar to its native region in southern Asia. Soon, turmeric transformed Caribbean cooking.

When the Indian workers arrived, they faced horrible conditions and minimal wages that made it difficult for them to support themselves. They were expected to stay in Jamaica for ten years — even though their contracts only lasted five years — and then find additional paid opportunities or work for free. 

Some attempted to migrate to more urban areas like Kingston where the banana industry offered higher payment, but they faced much opposition and racial prejudice. Their traditional Hindu and Muslim spiritual practices were not respected. They eventually realized they would not be able to survive and many of them returned to their homeland across the ocean. 

The majority of the population who stayed were Africans from the western coast of the motherland stolen from countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Senegal and Cameroon. The fusion of these cultures birthed unique spiritual and medicinal traditions — in which turmeric occupied a special place. Turmeric has been grown in Saint Ann, Manchester, Portland and other parishes, or counties.

In the hills of Saint Mary, maroon communities have demonstrated turmeric harvesting techniques while turmeric has been enjoyed in farm-to-table events in Ocho Rios. Turmeric is also grown on a more industrial scale for agricultural research. In other areas, Rastafari brothers reap the fruits of their labor with abundant harvests of these golden yellow roots. 

The presence of turmeric in Jamaica would not be possible without the devoted work and labor of enslaved Africans and Indians. However, negative racial stigmas still persist about the strong scent and yellow stain this root spice often leaves behind on clothing and other surfaces when it’s used. Despite this perception, the western world has started to embrace and capitalize from turmeric dishes including curry chicken, a hearty Jamaican dish cooked with potatoes. 

Curry chicken is a common dish in traditional Jamaican cuisine, influenced by the presence of Asian agricultural knowledge on the island. Many Jamaicans practice a plant-based diet known as ital, which is derived from traditional West African medicine and cultural practices. This unique diet prioritizes fresh, organic and locally sourced plants for a holistic lifestyle.  In ital, you can find more health-conscious dishes that substitute chicken with plants such as jackfruit and cauliflower. 

Jamaican curry is originally made from scratch using whole ingredients. Nowadays, curry powder stacks grocery shelves. Turmeric is a key ingredient in curry powder that can be found in mainstream stores and markets, along with cinnamon, cardamom, coriander and other spices. Curry powder became more commercialized when British colonizers returned to Europe and depended on this mixture of spices because they no longer had easy access to freshly harvested plants. 

Africa and India share a special cultural bond in the fusion between the Nile Valley and Southeast Asia. This widespread use of turmeric reveals how its application in predominantly African areas of the Caribbean has played a major role in shaping the culinary tastes of individuals everywhere. The contemporary education of original land-based medicine has now received a grand increase in attention from healers and earthworkers worldwide. 

As I venture into the wondrous world of turmeric, you’re invited to join me on this journey! Get your copy of our Turmeric Monograph Book here.