Where does this come from, and can I check it?

The pigment is fat soluble, which is why it stains plastic so stubbornly. The figure is taken from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a food fact?

Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Turmeric's yellow comes from curcumin

The pigment is fat soluble, which is why it stains plastic so stubbornly Turmeric is the boiled and dried rhizome of a plant in the ginger family, and its colour comes from curcumin, a pigment that dissolves in fat rather than water. That is why it colours oil, ghee and hands far more readily than cold water, and why a spill on a board can persist for weeks. Fresh rhizomes are milder and earthier than the powdered spice. It sits in Mondo's food collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Science trivia

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Annatto gives cheddar its orange colourThe seed coat of a tropical shrub supplies a yellow red dye called bixin Eggshell colour depends on the hen, not the yolkBrown shells carry protoporphyrin pigment, and blue shells carry biliverdin Melanin determines skin hair and eye colourationSpecialised melanocyte cells produce pigments that absorb ultraviolet radiation Sichuan peppercorn is not a peppercornThe tingle comes from sanshool, a compound in the citrus family Chillies reached India in the 1500sPortuguese ships carried American peppers east, changing local cooking for good Sumac is made from dried berriesThe red spice comes from a tart relative of cashew and mango

Tags: turmeric, curcumin, pigment

Turmeric's yellow comes from curcumin: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: The pigment is fat soluble, which is why it stains plastic so stubbornly. The figure is taken from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a food fact?: Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.