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EveryMasala

Drying spices

Removing moisture from harvested spice, by sun, shade, kiln or machine, to stop rot and fix flavour.

A pile: the spice ground to powder, here with a spoon. Ground spice loses its aroma faster than whole.

Also: sun drying, kiln drying, spice drying, dehydration

Drying is the first processing step for nearly every spice. Chillies and turmeric are spread in the sun on mats or yards; cardamom is often dried in heated chambers at about 50 degrees Celsius to hold its green colour; saffron stigmas are toasted gently over a low heat; black cardamom is smoked in kilns. The target is moisture of around 8 to 12 percent, low enough to prevent mould and aflatoxin. Poorly dried spice can mould in storage, a serious safety problem and one that causes export rejection. Modern producers use solar dryers and covered racks to keep spice clean of dust and stones.

See also

CuringAflatoxinCleaning and gradingHarvest timing

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