Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a plant of the ginger family of which we use the fresh rhizomes or roots, grated or powdered as a spice in cooking. It is native to Asia, where it is widely used in all types of preparations.

Its flavor, if we use it in small quantities, is very mild and barely noticeable. It has aromas similar to mustard and black pepper, although it is not spicy.

The color is given by its curcumin content, a yellow chemical produced by the plant and widely used in the food industry as a colorant, under the name E-100.

It is known that 4000 years ago it was already used in India, in the Vedic culture, as spice and as medicine. If you want to know more about its properties, this guide to turmeric will help you.

Turmeric arrived in China around 700 AD, East Africa around 800 AD, and Jamaica in the 18th century. Until Marco Polo described this spice as similar to saffron. Today its use is widespread throughout the world and we can find turmeric powder in any supermarket, at the same price as other spices and herbs.

What is turmeric used for in cooking?

The truth is that turmeric is a very interesting spice in two main aspects:

when you do paellas and other rice dishes that require yellow or saffron dye, you can use turmeric in the same amount instead. Since it is little, it hardly gives any flavor but it does dye our preparations yellow.

It is also useful for making scrambled tofu and turning it yellow, for stews, soups, purees, pastas, muffins, cookies, etc If you use too much turmeric, it turns a very strong yellow color.

Many asian recipes They use turmeric as a spice, both fresh and powder, and both sweet and savory, since it tastes neither salty nor sweet.

You can find fresh turmeric in Asian supermarkets and some other supermarkets. It looks very similar to ginger, but is smaller and orange in color.

in Indian cuisine It is used a lot, it is one of the bases of its flavors and colors and it is used in most dishes. It is one of the essential ingredients in curry.

4 quick and very tasty recipes with turmeric

You can use turmeric in anything you want, whether Asian inspired, or not. You can add it to your vinaigrettes, sauces, legumes, vegetables (especially white or light colored ones like cauliflower), broths, etc.

Here I propose 4 recipes with turmeric that are very quick to prepare and they are very tasty and healthy.

If you want more ideas for healthy recipes full of vegetables and tasty, you can download the ebook «Healthy lunches and dinners: 100 vegetarian recipes» from Bodymente.