Turmeric

[Fossil]

what does tumeric do to the flavor and when are the recipes and times it is added?

 

[TATTRAT]

Turmeric is the root of a plant similar to ginger. Very common in Indian(east) and Curry preparations, though it comes from Asia originally. Normally added it's the beginning. It is one of the main ingredients in American yellow mustard, giving its yellow color.

As far as flavor, it is light and "perfumey". Now a days, it is mainly used for color.

 

[redkitty]

Here's wiki on turmeric, also called tumeric (which just confused me!) It also has some wonderful medicinal benefits...

Turmeric - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Robo410]

very mild flavor...dry, hint of floral. deep color. used in curries for the color and it's binding and blending of other flavors. Does indeed have medicinal properties

 

[expatgirl]

I like to use it when making Asian/Indian dishes. A lot of recipes call for mixing turmeric with other spices (coriander, cumin, garlic) and roasting in a heatedlightly oiled pan until you smell the aroma--about 15- 20 seconds and then adding the other ingredients. This is the method I use when making red lentil soup. As far as health benefits I've read that turmeric is a potent weapon against developing certain types of cancer.

 

[YT2095]

too much and it will taste bitter, so it`s a good thing the stuff is so strong a colorant as it is, you would never add too much unless by accident.
the smell to me is almost Chocolatey at first, but that`s easily gotten rid of when you cook it out and other smells easily overwrite it.

I like to add it to Rice before cooking, also if you have food that is Alkaline it will change color to a Red! (just a bit of useless info for you).

 

[jennyema]

You need to taste it and evaluate it yourself. To me the taste is subtle but the color is not.

 

[college_cook]

It's mostly found in Asian/Indian cuisine. I really like it a lot in Lo Mein. It's also a very common curry ingredient.

It never really plays the role of start ingredient because it has such a mild flavor, and other flavors easily overpower it.

 

[licia]

It is used in the brine in many kinds of pickles, too. I don't know if you can taste it there, or if it is mostly for color.

 

[Lady DeWinters]

I love the taste and smell of turmeric. I use it a lot in South Eastern cuisine like Malaysian, Singaporean and Indian. Be careful though! If it gets onto your white shirt, it's awful to get it out.

 

[Green Lady]

I am in the process of taking a class on cancer as I am working on a MS in Holistic Nutrition. One of the textbooks I have is written by an Indian MD. He said a good preventative for cancer is tumeric. Tumeric is anti-tumor, protects DNA, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerative, inhibits leukemia, inhibits breast cancer, suppresses colon cancer, protects against heart disease, helps metabolism and digestion, dissolves undesirable fats, and the list goes on.

According to him take it 2x daily, lunch and dinner. Cook the veggies. After they are cooked blend some tumeric with either olive oil, butter, or ghee and then toss with the veggies. Don't overdo it. Use 1/4 t. per meal. I have begun doing this and it does have a mild flavor. I was surprised my 18 y.o. son likes the veggies this way. Also, if one wants to prevent a cold they can boil 1 c. milk with 1/4 t. tumeric and sip slowly.

Don't ever use a tumeric extract! Just use the real thing.

 

[Turando]

We use it a lot in Indian/Pakistani cooking. Many times it is just to add colour more so than flavour.