Ingredient: Turmeric
Category: Herbs, Spices & Seasoning
Season: All
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family,
Zingiberaceae which is native to tropical South Asia. It needs temperatures between 20 and 30 deg. C. and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive.
Plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes, and re-seeded from some of those rhizomes in the following season.
It is also often misspelled (or pronounced) as tumeric. It is also known as kunyit or haldi in some Asian countries
In recipes, Turmeric is sometimes used as a colouring agent. It has found application in canned beverages, baked products, dairy products, ice cream, yogurt, yellow cakes, biscuits, popcorn-colour, sweets, cake icings, cereals, sauces, gelatins, etc.
It is a significant ingredient in most commercial curry powders.
Turmeric (coded as E100 when used as a food additive) is used to protect food products from sunlight.
The oleoresin is used for oil-containing products.
The curcumin/polysorbate solution or curcumin powder dissolved in alcohol is used for water containing products.
Over-colouring, such as in pickles, relishes and mustard, is sometimes used to compensate for fading.
In combination with annatto (E160b), turmeric has been used to coulor cheeses, yogurt, dry mixes, salad dressings, winter butter and margarine.
Turmeric is also used to give a yellow colour to some prepared mustards, canned chicken broths and other foods (often as a much cheaper replacement for saffron).
Turmeric is widely used as a spice in Indian and other South Asian cooking.
Momos (Nepali meat dumplings), a traditional dish in South Asia, are spiced with turmeric. |