In praise of - turmeric.

Columnist

Wednesday 22 February 2012

TURMERIC has been in the news again, as more research shows it's good for our health.

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by robert mcneil

It's a rare herb or spice that makes the headlines.

True, you may see the following: "Outrage as clampers tow caraway." "The Campbells are cumin." And: "Footer player nutmegs other footer player." But these are just some of the many exceptions that prove the rule.

As you know, turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial. It's also a member of the ginger family, so it should be loved by Scots. It grows in the forests of South and Southeast Asia, and that's as much background information as I'm willing to type out for you.What's the health angle? Well, Alzheimer's Disease is the latest illness that turmeric might cure or, at least, prevent or, at leaster, slow down. Allegedly, it also hampers cancer, arthritis and psoriasis. Those of you familiar with the media will know it's only a matter of time before the backlash begins, and top articles will claim that turmeric actually causes Alzheimer's, cancer, arthritis and psoriasis.But, for the moment, all the evidence suggests turmeric is one of the good guys. It's most commonly associated with curry, which is good news for Scots, as the famous international cuisine was invented in Glasgow. Curries, alas, are right calorific, as is everything nice.But you can add turmeric to other food too, as long as you don't mind it turning yellow. I put it in lentil soup, for example. Adding it to beef stew could be problematic, but you could garnish guests' dishes with lashings of broon sauce to disguise the colour.It's estimated that turmeric ruins 16 billion shirts and t-shirts a year, thanks to yellow staining from spills. However, if you will not wear a giant bib in restaurants, you've no one to blame but yourself.

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In praise of - turmeric.

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