13 Facts About Turmeric

Turmeric is a flowering plant, Curcuma longa, of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking.

Turmeric powder has a warm, bitter, black pepper-like flavor and earthy, mustard-like aroma.

Turmeric has been used in Asia for centuries and is a major part of Ayurveda, Siddha medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Unani, and the animistic rituals of Austronesian peoples.

Turmeric has been found in Tahiti, Hawaii and Easter Island before European contact.

Turmeric was found in Farmana, dating to between 2600 and 2200 BCE, and in a merchant's tomb in Megiddo, Israel, dating from the second millennium BCE.

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Turmeric is one of the key ingredients in many Asian dishes, imparting a mustard-like, earthy aroma and pungent, slightly bitter flavor to foods.

Turmeric is used widely as a spice in South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking.

Turmeric is used in a hot drink called "turmeric latte" or "golden milk" that is made with milk, frequently coconut milk.

Turmeric is approved for use as a food color, assigned the code E100.

Turmeric is used to give a yellow color to some prepared mustards, canned chicken broths, and other foods—often as a much cheaper replacement for saffron.

Turmeric grows wild in the forests of South and Southeast Asia, where it is collected for use in classical Indian medicine.

Turmeric makes a poor fabric dye, as it is not light fast, but is commonly used in Indian clothing, such as saris and Buddhist monks' robes.

Turmeric paper, called curcuma paper or in German literature, Curcumapapier, is paper steeped in a tincture of turmeric and allowed to dry.