Turmeric

Curcuma longa

Turmeric is a spice made from a rhizome, with an earthy aroma and a mildly bitter taste when dried. Cooks use turmeric powder for seasoning and baking.

Category: Herbs & spices
Part used: Rhizome
Family: Zingiberaceae
Cooked most in: Asia, Africa
Top country: Indonesia
Dishes: 36 in the catalogue
Energy: 312 kcal per 100 g

Photo: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In the kitchen

How to use turmeric

Typical ways to cook or use it

Bake
Season

Flavour

Taste and texture

Taste, dried profile of turmeric

Sweet0

Sour0

Salty0

Bitter2

Umami0

Aroma

Earthy

Shopping

Choosing and storing turmeric

Sold as: Powder

Nutrition

What 100 g of turmeric holds

Per 100 g. Averages from USDA; real values vary by variety, season and growing conditions.

Protein 12%Fat 4%Carbohydrate 84%of the macronutrients by weight

Nutrition per 100 g of turmeric
Energy	312 kcal · 1,305 kJ
Protein	9.7 g
Fat	3.3 g
of which saturated	1.8 g
Carbohydrate	67 g
of which sugars	3.2 g
Fibre	23 g
Sodium	27 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg

Nutrition per 100 g of turmeric: minerals and vitamins
Potassium	2,080 mg
Calcium	168 mg
Iron	55 mg
Magnesium	208 mg
Zinc	4.5 mg
Vitamin C	0.7 mg
Folate	20 µg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (food 172231), public domain. Minerals and vitamins are listed only where USDA measured a non-zero amount.

Around the world

Where turmeric is cooked

36 dishes in the catalogue use turmeric. Here is where they come from.

Dishes by continent

Asia31
Africa2

Countries whose dishes use it most

Counts are catalogued dishes from each country that list turmeric among their ingredients.

Origins

Native to: Southern Asia, South-eastern Asia

On the table

Dishes made with turmeric

33 of the 36 catalogued dishes that use it, spread across the countries they come from.

Coto makassar
Indonesia
Laksa
Iran
Shark chutney
Seychelles
Boko Boko Harees
Burundi
Matang satay
Indonesia
Kuwah Pliëk U
Indonesia
Klatak Satay
Indonesia
Kuah beulangong
Indonesia
Arsik
Indonesia
Lontong kikil
Indonesia
Nasi lapola
Indonesia
Tongseng
Indonesia
Dengke Mas Naniura
Indonesia
Ayam tangkap
Indonesia
Jepara grilled opor
Indonesia
Mi Gomak
Indonesia
Pallumara Ikan Sunu
Indonesia
Tambunsu curry
Indonesia
Bika Ambon
Indonesia
Sop saudara
Indonesia
Masam keueueng
Indonesia
Rendang
Indonesia
Sour Fish Soup
Indonesia
Ayam goreng
Indonesia
Boh puniaram
Indonesia
Kuwah eungkôt yèe
Indonesia
Sinonggi
Indonesia
Eel rujak
Indonesia
Soto ayam
Indonesia
Nasi kuning
Indonesia
Pepes
Indonesia
Gulai Balak
Lendot

Dish lists come from Wikidata; a dish counts when its recorded ingredients include turmeric.

Around the world

What turmeric is called

Names in 22 languages, from Wikidata.

French
curcuma · poudre de curcuma
Italian
curcuma
German
Kurkuma
Dutch
kurkuma · geelwortel
Hebrew
כורכום טחון · כורכום
Chinese
姜黄
Japanese
ターメリック
Korean
강황
Bulgarian
Куркума
Catalan
cúrcuma
Czech
kurkuma
Estonian
Kurkum

Show all 22 languages

Irish
tuirmiric · tuirmeiric
Malayalam
മഞ്ഞൾപ്പൊടി
Norwegian Nynorsk
gurkemeiekrydder · gurkemeie · gurkemeie som krydder · gurkemeie i krydderform
Odia
ହଳଦୀ ଗୁଣ୍ଡ
Punjabi
ਹਲਦੀ · ਹਲ਼ਦੀ
Slovenian
kurkuma
Swedish
gurkmeja
Ukrainian
куркума · куркума мелена · порошок куркуми · індійський шафран
Venetian
cùrcuma
Western Panjabi
ہلدی · ہࣇدی

Sources and credits

Data

GlobeCooks editorial: descriptions, kitchen notes and classification, written by GlobeCooks from checked sources
USDA FoodData Central (Foundation, SR Legacy): nutrition values (Public domain (US government work, CC0))
Wikidata: names, classification and dishes (CC0 1.0)
Wikimedia Commons: photos
Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Wikidata item: Q20730193

Photos