Know your food · 12 September 2026
Turmeric and curcumin: what the research suggests
A plain explainer on curcumin — what it is, why black pepper changes how much of it your body absorbs, and how much is still an open question.
रोजनिशी · guides & field notes
Notes from the farm and the pan
What we learn growing, boiling and grinding these staples — written down plainly. How things are made, what the labels mean, and the honest answer when a fashionable claim deserves one.
Know your food · 17 August 2026
Is your haldi pure? Three checks you can do at home
Turmeric is one of the most adulterated spices in the market. Three simple kitchen checks that catch the common tricks — and what only a lab can tell you.
Know your food · 8 August 2026
Jaggery vs sugar: an honest comparison
Gur keeps what refining throws away — but it is still a sweetener. What genuinely changes when you swap, what does not, and how to substitute in real cooking.
Know your food · 30 July 2026
Lakadong turmeric, explained
What curcumin actually is, what 7.90% means next to ordinary haldi, and what the 2024 GI tag protects — a plain guide to India's high-curcumin turmeric.
How it's made · 16 July 2026
How open-pan jaggery is actually made
From cane crusher to cooling tray in one afternoon — the traditional gur process, step by step, and the industrial shortcuts we refuse.
Farmer stories · 2 July 2026
Why we pulled out sugarcane and planted turmeric
The Kolhapur–Sangli belt has grown cane for generations. Here's why the Captain turned the family's fields over to turmeric — and why others are following.
Looking for things to cook instead? Therecipes pageis the practical half of this notebook.