Curcuma longa

Turmeric or Curcuma longa belongs to Zingiberaceae family along with ginger.  It is generally found in Southeast Asia. The powder from these rhizomes is used in Asian food for its colour and flavour. Turmeric powder is deep-orange-yellow in colour and has a bitter, warm and pepper like flavour with an earthy mustard like aroma.

Apart from being used in cooking, turmeric has been a part of treatment in ancient medicines of Ayurveda, Unani and traditional Chinese medicine. It was also used as a dye at that time. It is also used in other products like baked products, ice cream, canned beverages, yogurt, dairy products, orange juice, biscuits, yellow cakes, cereals, popcorn colour and gelatin. It is used in commercial curry powders.

Turmeric has 34 essential oils including turmerone, atlantone, zingiberene and germacrone which are its major constituents. Turmeric powder is made up of 60-70% carbohydrates, 6-12% water, 6-8% proteins, 5-10% fats, 3-7% dietary fibre, 3-7% essential oils and 1-5% curcuminoids. These curcuminoids include curcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin and demethoxycurcumin.
In ancient medicine, turmeric was used as a treatment for disorders like throat infections, liver ailments, common cold, cleanse wounds and treat skin sores and indigestion. It is also for wedding purposes in Indian weddings.

Turmeric paper was also used in ancient Germany as an indicator of acidity and alkalinity. In case of acidic solutions, the paper remains yellow. The paper turns brown to reddish-brown in case of alkaline solutions.

Turmeric as a dye is commonly used in Bangladesh and India for saris and Buddhist monk’ robes. Turmeric is also used in food to protect it from sunlight.  Turmeric is used as a colouring agent in cheese, yogurt, margarine, pickles, salad dressings, and dry mixes. In parts of South Asia, turmeric leaves are also used to wrap and cook food. In these areas turmeric is grown and its leaves are freshly picked for cooking purpose. 

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