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turmeric root

ground
5.0
Based on 30 reviews
portion
0.35 oz
50¢
shaker jar
2.5 oz
$5
refill
2.5 oz
$4
large refill
8 oz
$14
PACKAGING GUIDE
VARIANTS
chopped
ground
Ground turmeric is a vibrant and mesmerizing golden-yellow hue. It's powdery and has a tendency to cling to whatever it touches. It is often used as a natural dye for fabrics, or as a natural food coloring in dishes where its yellow tint is the desired effect. Ground turmeric has a mild earthy-sweet flavor, with a hint of pepper and many know turmeric as the spice responsible for adding coloring and flavoring curries.

Turmeric is used primarily in savory dishes. It is a prominent feature in Indian and Thai curries—but mostly is used for its coloring properties, more than for its flavor.
QUICK INFO
turmeric root , ground
INGREDIENTS
Turmeric root
TASTING NOTES
A warming spice with a pungent earthiness; additional almost floral notes and hints of eucalyptus lurk beneath top flavors. Slightly bitter.
AROMA
Mildly aromatic. Earthy to musky, with a bit of woody astringency.
CHARACTERISTICS
Mesmerizing bright golden-yellow.
PAIRINGS
Pair with cumin or paprika to deepen the spice's earthiness; pair with cardamom or coriander to highlight turmeric's floral notes with a bit of citrus.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Saffron or safflower will yield a similar musky flavor and impart foodstuffs with the same yellow color of turmeric.
USAGE
Used mostly in savory dishes: a star in curries; also adds visual interest and flavor complexity to rice dishes. Used as a coloring agent in cheese, butter, sauces, baked products, and other food products.
PLANT PART
rhizome
PROCESSING / FORM
ground
BOTANICAL NAME
Curcuma longa
ORIGIN
India
BOTANICAL NAME
Curcuma longa
AKA
turmeric
Indian saffron
Turmeric is an underground rhizome that looks rather similar to ginger. It has ginger's same gnarly tuber shape but its skin is darker and more golden. Its flesh is also a much richer and deep yellow-orange color. It is part of the family Zingiberaceae which, not surprisingly, also includes ginger and cardamom.

Like many of the other plants in the family, turmeric can be found in tropical climes, particularly India, where it grows natively. Though there are a numerous varieties of Curcuma species, C. longa is found almost exclusively in South India. The turmeric-growing South Indian city Erode is the largest producer and is known also as "Yellow City" or "Turmeric City."

Turmeric is harvested annually. The rhizomes collected are used either for consumption or for propagation for the following season's crop. The rhizomes marked for sale are boiled, dried and then processed, most-often into a yellow-golden powder.

The spice is the principal ingredient in commercial curry, but it is also used as an all natural coloring agent. It is used in food industries to color cheese, butter and other foods; and though it is also used to color the robes of Buddhist monks and the traditionally South Asian draped garments called saris, it isn't an ideal fabric dye because it isn't colorfast.
USAGE HINT

Turmeric’s vibrant color not only permeates your food, it can stain clothes, hands, and kitchen counters so always wear gloves and an apron.

QUICK FACT

Turmeric was considered “The Spice of Life” or the “Golden Spice” during the Vedic Period (1500-500BC) of India as a reflection of the culture’s worship of sun gods during that era.

 
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Turmeric has an earthy, woody, and slightly floral flavor that serves well in complex blends where it can bring other flavors together.
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REVIEWS (30)
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