NAOMI FOALE
Daily Mail
London: For most of us, there are two main elements in a good latte – some hot coffee and plenty of steamed milk.
But in the fast-moving world of faddish food and drink, it appears those key ingredients have fallen out of favour. Welcome to the world of the turmeric ‘latte’, which doesn’t actually contain any real coffee or milk at all.
The caffeine-free hot drink is the latest health craze being served in coffee shops and stocked in stores across Britain.
There are various ways to make a turmeric latte, but most also contain a milk substitute, black pepper, ginger and coconut oil.
It has been hailed as a daily staple by caffeine dodgers and celebrity foodies, thanks to its health benefits and lack of need for a filter.
It has also become a favourite on social media site Instagram, thanks to its bright yellow colour.
The drink has seen a 300 percent increase in its number of Google searches in the last five years, and was named 2016’s ‘Breakout Star’ by Google Food Trends.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is among those to have added the drink to her morning routine, recommending a mixture of turmeric with ‘ginger, coconut sugar, coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt’ for the perfect latte.
Hailed as ‘nature’s wonder drug’, turmeric has been used as a herbal remedy in South America for more than 4 000 years, offering anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
Scientists have suggested that curcumin – the pigment responsible for turmeric’s colour – may be used to prevent and treat ailments including lung and brain disease, and a number of cancers.
The turmeric herb, a member of the ginger family, may even help to combat a drug- resistant strain of tuberculosis, they say.
Planet Organic offers a turmeric latte in its London stores, and York-based restaurant chain Filmore and Union promises to ‘fire you up’ with their blend, which they have been stocking since January 2015.