Turmeric

Turmeric comes from South Asia, a member of the ginger family, it is a rhizome with a vivid yellow colour. It is earthy, bitter and peppery and is used in Indian, Persian, Malay and Thai cuisines to name but a few. It adds earthiness and a good colour to foods such as dairy products like ice-cream, yogurt, cakes, orange juice, popcorn and, of course, curry powders. It adds a beautiful yellow colour to rice. 

Turmeric is antiseptic and anti bacterial and is used in sun screens and to treat stomach problems. 

Turmeric stains anything it touches, especially clothes, and the reason that it is not used as an effective dye is the secret to removing the stain from clothes. Turmeric fades in bright sunshine, so just leave your article of clothing in the sun for a few hours and the stain will be gone. Trust me, it works!

I use turmeric in curries, usually adding 1/4 tsp along with paprika or chili powder with the usual roasted and ground spice mix. It adds a nice orange-y colour and a nice earthy note which works well with the other spices. It can also be used in vegetable dishes, especially cauliflower, where it gives the cauli a nice pale yellow hue which looks very attractive with some greens like cilantro and some red, like tomato.