Photo Gallery

Ginger is available for sale at Pasar Beringharjo, the most famous and important spice market in Yogyakarta. – 1990

Just before flowering, the buds—or cloves—are ready to be harvested. A five-year-old clove tree is about six to eight meters tall and robust enough for its first “harvest.” After picking the flower buds, the tree is allowed a rest period of eighteen to twenty-four months before the next harvest. This cycle can be maintained until the tree dies or is felled. – 1990

Dried cloves rightly bear their French name, “Clou de girofle” (clove bud). The bud, which is three to four millimeters in diameter and a beautiful dark brown, consists of tightly packed petals; the stem, formed from the calyx, is ten to twelve millimeters long. During the drying process, cloves lose nearly half their weight. The yield from a single tree is approximately ten kilograms, rarely more. – 1990

When the leaves begin to wilt, turmeric is harvested by digging up the root tubers. Two varieties of turmeric, or yellow root, are available on the market: the round variety, which comes from the thick main tuber, and the elongated variety, which comes from the branches of this rhizome. — 1990

Turmeric at the most famous and important spice market in Yogyakarta. – 1990

Turmeric (Curcuma longa), also known as yellow root, is a medicinal and spice plant native to South Asia that is valued for its intense yellow colour and anti-inflammatory properties. The most important active ingredient is the polyphenol curcumin. – Sulawesi – 1990

Packaged turmeric roots for sale at the market in the village of Bontosunggu on Sulawesi. The pigment curcumin, or turmeric yellow, found in the tubers is a key ingredient in curry powder, which is actually a blend of various flavorings rather than a single spice. Other ingredients include ground peppercorns (Indian pepper), cardamom, coriander, and various other aromatic substances. The proportions of the individual spices vary from region to region; furthermore, different curry blends are used depending on the dish. In India, turmeric yellow is also used to dye textiles. And various Polynesian tribes, for example on the Marquesas Islands and in Wallis, use it to dye their hair. – 1990

Freshly opened nutmeg fruits. The flesh of these apricot-like fruits surrounds the large seed, the nutmeg. The striking red aril or seed coat is dried and sold as mace or mazis. – Banda Neira – Moluccas – 1990

Still life with a branch bearing fruit and open nutmeg fruits, as well as a collection basket and a bamboo picking drum called a gaigai. This is open on one side and equipped with two gripping teeth. The fruit is stripped off and falls into the cone-shaped collection drum. On Banda Besar, as on the other Moluccan islands, the harvest takes place twice a year, in June and October. - 1990

Mazis laid out to dry in the sun give off a distinctive scent. When soaked in water, the strands swell up again immediately. From this soaked mazis, an essential oil with a pungent, spicy, and rather bitter scent is extracted, which is used in pharmaceuticals. – 1990