Indian food: What are the uses of turmeric in Indian dishes?

Turmeric is a bright yellow spice powder that belongs to the ginger family. Since thousands of years, turmeric has been used in Asia as a dye, food colouring agent, and also in Indian traditional medicines. The appearance of turmeric is similar to ginger and galangal as it is also a kind of root except for it’s an orange hue. Turmeric is also known as Indian saffron.

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Flavour and common names of turmeric

Having an earthy odour, turmeric has a pungent flavour. It has a little bitter, peppery like mustard and a slight ginger flavour in it. Turmeric is used for cooking and also as a colouring agent. An Indian spicy recipe without turmeric may not have the desired flavour of the dish. An advised substitute for turmeric in a recipe can be dry mustard.

The turmeric plant is scientifically named as Curcuma longa. In India, it is commonly called as haldi (in Hindi); halud or pitras (in Bengali); arishia (in Kannada); and halad (n Konkani and Marathi). In Gujarati and Punjabi, it called as haldhar or haldi and in Urdu, it is called as haladi.

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Uses of turmeric in Indian dishes

Turmeric is widely grown for its rhizomes which are consumed as a bright yellow-orange cooking spice. Curcumin is the chief pigment in turmeric and is usually used in a variety of food industries as a colouring agent. Turmeric is primarily used in dairy foods, cereals, beverages, cereal, ice cream, bakery products and savoury foodstuffs. It is also used in flavoured milk drinks, refined milk, desserts and confectionaries to attain lemon and banana colours in dairy products.

At greater levels, turmeric is added to sausages, pickles, relishes, sauces, and dry mixes due to its unique convention as a spice. Storage of turmeric should be in sealed air-tight containers away from sunlight. If not stored properly, turmeric can lose its aroma quickly. It is mainly contained in curry powders and to give a good flavour to rice dishes and sauces.

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Others beneficial uses

Turmeric also contains flavonoid curcumin, well-known for its anti-inflammatory properties. As per medical reports, turmeric detoxifies the liver, fights allergies, stimulates digestion and boosts immunity. In the early days, women used to have a bath using a paste of turmeric and oil (ubtan) as it is good for the skin. 

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