Curcuma longa
| Turmeric | |
|---|---|
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| Inflorescence of Curcuma longa | |
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| Processed turmeric | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae |
| Genus: | Curcuma |
| Species: | C. longa |
| Binomial name | |
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Curcuma longa L. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Curcurma domestica Valeton |
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Curcurma domestica Valeton
Turmeric (/ˈtɜːrmərɪk/) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant (Curcuma longa) of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to southern Asia, requiring temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes and propagated from some of those rhizomes in the following season.
When not used fresh, the rhizomes are boiled for about 30–45 minutes and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep-orange-yellow powder commonly used as a coloring in Bangladeshi cuisine, Indian cuisine, Iranian cuisine, Pakistani cuisine, and curries, as well as for dyeing.
Turmeric has been used in Asia for thousands of years and is a major part of Siddha medicine. It was first used as a dye, and then later for its medicinal properties.
The origin of the name is uncertain, possibly deriving from Middle English/early modern English as turmeryte or tarmaret. There was speculation that it may be of Latin origin, terra merita (merited earth).
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Wikipedia