SAMOA FOR REAL

Did you know that in the month of February there are 23 holidays celebrated around the world? Fortunately for our business community, none of these are celebrated in Samoa!

So we can say that February is the month when we can really buckle down and set our goals, resolutions and budgets for the year.v Unless your fiscal year falls between July and June, then you still have a few months to spare.

And speaking of resolutions, how many times have we made New Years’ resolutions to be healthy?

We all have different ideas of doing this, but there’s no denying that we all want to do it the easy way.

Our feature article this week is on something that can contribute to your goal of staying healthy, but it will also impress your palate and that of your family and friends. It’s a root that we have all grown up with in Samoa and is used only for its medicinal qualities, but until recent years have not enjoyed its culinary benefits. We are talking about the ‘lega’ or turmeric.

In fact I had one growing in my garden and only knew it as the ‘lega’…the root with medicinal qualities. Talk about a DUH moment! So I’ve been enjoying it in my soups, curries and marinades for meats.

Happy February and enjoy the ‘lega!’
SFR Exec

What makes a tourist destination different? Surely it involves one of the five senses! Well without having too heavy an intellectual debate for a Monday morning in sunny Samoa you would have to agree that taste, yes tasty local grown food, naturally available, has got to be an important player in getting tourists, visitors and more importantly us locals, tummy-happy, nourished and interested.

Why spice-up and innovate our food and what’s that got to do with tourism you ask?

Well here’s the thing, 95% or more of Samoan businesses that host, cook, market and serve food to tourists and visitors are locally owned with local buyers, workers and with very locally sensitive budgets.

Let’s face it, the chances that a local cook will taste and appreciate an ingredient in a dish is higher when he or she uses it liberally at home and is cheaply available.

Now if you grew up in Samoa you would surely remember grandma’s lega usually kept in a white screw-tight Mentholatum jar or similar, that came out to dab your inner mouth for sores or gutu malu when you did not have an appetite? Coconut oil infused with lega was a basic children’s must-have medicine in any Samoan family back-in-the-day. Lega is a natural, soothing and an edible antiseptic.

Turmeric (curcuma longa) by palagi name, our local lega has been around as traditional medicine to us in Samoa, but never made it to the umukuka or kitchen for some odd reason. Perhaps because Samoan women usually with the medicinal knowledge did not much cook in traditional Samoan culture, but then I digress.

‘Lega’ or turmeric grows easily but unappreciated in Samoa, but is mostly only available in its ground form in the market for medicinal purposes.

Well here’s the thing, the roots of lega or turmeric looks similar to fiu or ginger and can be used in a very similar fashion. For something that has been under our noses for so long, I just could not believe the beautiful nutty flavour and lovely golden colour it adds to my dishes.

Grate and inch of fresh lega to soup and wow! Pound some fresh lega and add it to your curry base along with your usual ingredients and you will immediately notice a delightful change to your normal recipe!

What’s more exciting is that you can grow your own lega making the experience that more enjoyable and cheaper.

For more consultation, ask Dr. Vermullen for his weight-busting healthy recipes and you will surely see liberal doses of lega.

Or simply Google turmeric and see for yourself the well acclaimed international benefits of our much ignored local.