Turmeric, the bright golden relative of ginger root, is the “it” spice these days, and there’s a good chance you or someone you know is cooking with it. Long popular in East Asian cooking, turmeric gives authentic curry blends their vibrant color. It’s also what makes ballpark mustard glow with electric yumminess. The flavor it imparts is pleasantly bitter and mostly subtle.
But it’s neither color nor flavor that makes this ancient spice the new darling of home cooks—it’s because of turmeric’s ability to ward off a ridiculously long list of ailments. Seriously, I’ve seen everything from digestive disorders to depression, jaundice, arthritis, dementia and cancer listed among the health issues this spice, with its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, is believed to improve.
Baton Rouge’s resident spice store, Red Stick Spice Company, recently devoted a central display to turmeric in response to customer demand, owner Anne Milneck tells me. She and her staff have been experimenting with turmeric themselves to offer suggestions to patrons who arrive with reports on their own applications. One is so-called “golden milk,” a nighttime beverage made from milk, turmeric, cracked black pepper and honey to taste, which fans drink for health benefits.
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I haven’t tried golden milk yet, but I like the idea of tossing a gorgeous cure-all spice into my cooking. I mean, why not? Lately, I’ve been using turmeric in my homemade mac-and-cheese, which brings a new level of warmth to the flavor and brightens the color to attention-grabbing yellow. (Kraft set the precedent, so this does well with kids.) I also sprinkle it over summer squash, zucchini and red peppers before roasting. It gives them a gentle earthy note. My friend Babeth, a native of France, puts turmeric in scads of dishes, including a hachis (or hache) parmentier, sort of Lyonnaise shepherd’s pie.
Let me know all the luscious ways you’re using turmeric by posting on the 225 Facebook page or emailing me at [email protected].
Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor and author of the book, Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey.