Turmeric - food

Turmeric is widely cultivated for its rhizomes which are used as a bright yellow-orange culinary spice. It has been know as poor man's saffron because it offers a less expensive alternative yellow colouring.

Flavouring and colouring

A hand written recipe for curry
This recipe includes coriander, capsici (chilli peppers), cumin, curcum (turmeric) and several other spices.

The rhizomes of turmeric plants can be cured for use as a spice by boiling and steaming. They can also be boiled in water, dried, peeled then ground. Turmeric is an important yellow food dye and is added to many Indian dishes including curries. It is also added to pickles and can be used instead of saffron to add colour and flavour to rice.

Ground turmeric rhizomes are used to make turmeric oil that is used in the industrial production of flavouring for curries. Turmeric was often hung in kitchens as a good luck charm and a small rhizome was sometimes tied to the pots in the kitchen for luck.

In Europe and the USA turmeric is widely used as a colouring agent in processed foods, sauces, pharmaceuticals, confectionery and textile dyes.