Turmeric

Curcuma longa

spice · root

A rhizome whose bright yellow powder colours and flavours curry; at the heart of life on the Indian subcontinent, at once spice, preservative and dye.

Origin

Southern India

Season (United States)

imported · all year round

Preparation

Fresh, the rhizome is scraped and grated like ginger; as powder, half a teaspoon cooks with the dish. Its curcumin passes poorly on its own: a turn of the pepper mill and a little fat in the same dish clearly changes what reaches the blood.

Molecules

Curcuminoids

Did you know?

It colors curry, mustard... and dyes the robes of Buddhist monks.