Turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant of the ginger family. The tuberous rhizomes of turmeric have been used as a condiment, a textile dye, and medicinally as an aromatic stimulant and anti-inflammatory. Turmeric is often used fresh or ground into a powder for use as a spice in cooking. It is a deep, golden-orange spice known for adding color, flavor and nutrition to foods Chances are you’ve tasted turmeric before in a wide array of Indian cuisine – after all, it’s one of the main spices in curry powder! But there’s so much more to discover about turmeric that doesn’t have to do with food. In fact, turmeric is quite diverse in its uses, from dyeing monk’s robes, to treating inflammation, arthritis and gingivitis. We’re absolutely positive that these fun facts about turmeric will amaze you! We’ll take a trip to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu to visit Turmeric City and then to Jejuri, India for the world’s only turmeric festival. Yes, there really is a turmeric festival! Did you know that the robes worn by Buddhist monks are yellow-orange in color because of turmeric? As a rule, monks were forbidden to wear white, so turmeric was used to dye the fabric into the rich yellow we associate with Buddhist monks today.