Turmeric, the spice that adds bright orange color to your curry has long been used medicinally in India for healing wounds, aiding digestion and fighting infection. As reported today in Health Day, a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society has revealed the mechanism for turmeric’s healing powers. The study showed that curcumin, the main component in turmeric, stabilizes cell membranes and boosts resistance to infection. Turmeric powder comes from the root of a plant that is related to ginger and is most often found in Thai and Indian curry recipes and Moroccan tagines. Because of its bright yellow/orange color, turmeric is also used as a coloring agent in processed foods like cheese, butter, salad dressings, yogurt, even pickle relish, mustard, fruit drinks and chicken broth and is sometimes used as a substitute for the more expensive saffron.
How can you incorporate turmeric’s health benefits into your cooking? Start by including black pepper any time you use turmeric in a recipe. A 1998 study at St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India showed that curcumin alone was rapidly metabolized by the liver and intestinal wall, thus neutralizing its health effects in the rest of the body. Adding piperine, a component of black pepper, increased absorption and bioavailability of curcumin by 2000%.
In addition to using the turmeric/black pepper combination in traditional curries, you can simply add turmeric and black pepper to dishes like macaroni and cheese, scrambled eggs or potato salad. For inspiration, here’s a sampling of out-of-the-ordinary turmeric recipes:
Spicy Potatoes and Scrambled Eggs, at All Recipes.com
Red Pepper Soup, at Epicurian.comGluten Free Chickpea Crackers, at Recipezaar.com
Bobby Flay’s Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Ginger, at FoodNetwork.
(www.examiner.com)
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