Épices de Cru Kentjur

In a nutshell: Widely used in the Middle Ages throughout Europe, Kentjur's sharp, slightly camphor-like taste will add intriguing flavour to all sorts of soups, sauces, curries and stews.

Once known as 'white ginger' by Arab spice traders, kentjur is related to ginger but has a far more delicate and fragrant flavour. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly used throughout Europe and the Middle East. Today, it is mostly used in Indonesia (especially Bali) where it's an important ingredient in the region's cuisine and in China for many Sichuan recipes. In Bali, kentjur is incorporated into spice pastes with turmeric, galangal, kediri nuts, ginger, lemongrass, chillies and long peppers.  They also make a popular herbal medicine remedy called Beras Kencur with tamarind, rice, sugar and salt as a cure for rheumatism. Medicinally, you can also drink kentjur juice for coughs and colds - just add and macerate in a little boiling water with lime juice.  It's sharp, slightly camphor-like taste will add intriguing flavour to all sorts of soups, sauces, curries and stews. 

Details 30g

About Épices De Cru
Épices De Cru began in 1982 as a catering partnership between Philippe and Ethné de Vienne. Their mission was a kind of “cooking pot anthropology:” learning the secrets of family cooking around the world and applying these techniques to the needs of hungry Montrealers. The secret, they learned, was spices. Over the last two decades, Philippe and Ethné have searched for the world’s best spices, accompanied by their children, Marika and Arik. The de Viennes believe in direct sourcing spices: visiting growing regions, spending time with growers, and developing personal relationships that last decades. In 2004, they officially opened their first spice shop in Montreal’s fantastic Jean Talon market– it’s since become a mecca for foodies from all over the world. I first visited in 2008 and have been buying and using their spices on a regular basis ever since that first exciting visit. They steadfastly maintain that they do nothing original, only facilitating the exchange of culinary common sense from one place to another. But, what they do is simply quite brilliant - by providing us with the finest quality ingredients, and their superb spice mixes, we can all experiment with unusual spices and recreate delicious recipes from around the world.