Part of the OmVeda Botanical Library, this article follows the remarkable journey of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) through history. Native to the Indian subcontinent, turmeric has travelled across continents for more than 4,000 years, becoming part of traditional medicine, cuisine, trade, textiles, beauty rituals and cultural practices around the world. Discover how one remarkable rhizome became one of humanity's most treasured botanicals.
A Golden Thread Through Civilisation
Few botanicals have travelled through history with the same influence as turmeric.
For more than 4,000 years, Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has coloured textiles, flavoured food, inspired cultural traditions and become deeply woven into the everyday lives of millions of people. Long before it became recognised internationally as a culinary spice or featured in modern wellness trends, turmeric had already established itself as one of the most important plants of the Indian subcontinent.
Unlike many botanicals that remained closely associated with a single purpose, turmeric became part of almost every aspect of daily life. It moved effortlessly between the kitchen, the home, traditional medicine, agriculture, textile dyeing and beauty rituals, demonstrating a versatility that few plants can match.
Its story is not simply one of chemistry or skincare—it is a story of people, culture, trade and humanity's enduring relationship with the natural world.
Turmeric Through Time
| Approximate Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| c. 3000–2000 BCE | Turmeric is believed to have been cultivated throughout the Indian subcontinent, where it became part of food, agriculture and everyday household life. |
| c. 1500–1000 BCE | References to turmeric appear in the Atharva Veda and later Ayurvedic literature, reflecting its growing importance within India's traditional knowledge systems. |
| 7th century BCE | Turmeric is recorded in Assyrian cuneiform medical texts from the Library of Ashurbanipal in Mesopotamia, representing one of the earliest written references outside India. |
| Around 700 CE | Turmeric is documented in Chinese texts and incorporated into Traditional Chinese Medicine as Jiāng Huáng (姜黄). |
| 8th–10th centuries CE | Maritime trade spreads turmeric throughout Southeast Asia and East Africa, where it becomes integrated into regional cuisines and traditional wellness practices. |
| 13th century CE | Marco Polo describes a golden root resembling saffron, believed by many historians to refer to turmeric, introducing it to a wider European audience. |
| 21st century | Turmeric becomes one of the world's most extensively researched botanicals, inspiring ongoing interest in nutrition, cosmetic science and botanical skincare. |
Along the Ancient Spice Routes
Long before modern shipping routes connected continents, merchants travelled vast networks of overland and maritime trade routes carrying spices, textiles, precious stones and botanical knowledge between distant civilisations. Among these treasured commodities was turmeric, a humble golden rhizome that would eventually become known far beyond its native home in the Indian subcontinent.
While the Silk Road connected Asia with the Middle East and Europe over land, turmeric is believed to have travelled primarily along the Indian Ocean maritime trade routes, often referred to as the Spice Routes. These sea lanes linked India with Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and the eastern coast of Africa, allowing not only goods but also ideas, traditions and agricultural knowledge to be exchanged between cultures.
As turmeric reached new regions, it was rarely adopted in exactly the same way. Instead, each culture incorporated the botanical into its own culinary traditions, household practices and systems of wellness. This remarkable adaptability helped transform turmeric from a regional crop into one of the world's most recognised botanical ingredients.
Turmeric Around the World
Sri Lanka
Turmeric quickly became an essential ingredient in Sri Lankan cuisine, where it continues to provide colour and depth to many traditional curries. Beyond the kitchen, it has also featured in household remedies and cultural traditions, reflecting the close historical relationship between Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent.
Indonesia
Across Indonesia, turmeric became woven into both cuisine and traditional wellness practices. It is one of the defining ingredients of jamu, Indonesia's traditional botanical wellness system, where it has long been prepared in herbal drinks and household recipes passed from one generation to the next. One of the best-known preparations is Jamu Kunyit Asam, a vibrant drink combining fresh turmeric (kunyit) with tamarind, ginger and other botanicals, illustrating how turmeric became an everyday part of Indonesian life. In Bali, turmeric is also commonly incorporated into boreh, a warming herbal body preparation traditionally made from freshly ground spices and rice, demonstrating how the rhizome became part of local beauty and body care traditions.
East Africa
Trade across the Indian Ocean introduced turmeric to the Swahili Coast, where it gradually became established within coastal communities of present-day Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar. Known locally as manjano, turmeric found its way into regional cuisine as well as traditional botanical beauty practices, complementing indigenous ingredients such as coconut, sesame and baobab. Today, its presence reflects centuries of cultural exchange between East Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
Turmeric Reaches European Shores
Turmeric was known in Europe long before Britain established colonial rule in India. During the medieval period, spices and botanical materials from South Asia reached Mediterranean markets through extensive Arab, Persian and Venetian trading networks. In the 13th century, Marco Polo described a root from India that resembled saffron in colour, widely understood to be turmeric.
Tumeric (Curcuma longa) by unknown Indian artist, commissioned by William Roxburgh
By the early modern period, turmeric was also appearing in Britain, where it was sometimes known as Indian saffron and valued particularly for the golden colour it gave to food, textiles and household preparations. Surviving British recipe manuscripts show that it had a place in cooking before Indian-inspired curry powders became widely commercialised.
The establishment of the English East India Company in 1600 later created more direct and increasingly powerful trade links between England and the Indian subcontinent. Over time, those commercial relationships developed into political control and colonisation, with devastating consequences for many Indian communities, economies and knowledge traditions. Turmeric’s growing familiarity in Britain therefore belongs to two connected histories: an older story of cultural exchange across international trade routes, and a later story shaped by empire, extraction and unequal power.
In contemporary Australia, turmeric is now familiar through South Asian cuisine, multicultural food traditions, botanical skincare and the modern popularity of golden drinks, although its cultural and botanical history began thousands of years before these recent trends.
A Botanical That Continues to Connect Cultures
Few botanicals have become so deeply woven into human history as Turmeric. From its origins in the Indian subcontinent, it has crossed oceans, languages and generations, finding a place within countless culinary traditions, wellness systems and cultural practices around the world.
Yet despite its remarkable journey, Turmeric has never lost its connection to the land and cultures from which it emerged. It remains deeply intertwined with the traditions of India, where it continues to be celebrated as a botanical that brings together food, culture, family and daily life. Every community that has embraced Turmeric has added its own chapter to the story, creating a rich tapestry of knowledge while respecting the remarkable plant at its centre.
Today, Turmeric is appreciated by chefs, cosmetic formulators, researchers and wellness practitioners alike. Whether it appears in traditional cuisine, botanical or Ayurvedic skincare, a warming cup of Jamu Kunyit Asam, a Balinese boreh, or a modern turmeric latte, its journey reminds us that botanicals are far more than ingredients. They are carriers of culture, history and shared human experience.
Perhaps that is Turmeric's greatest legacy. It is not simply a culinary spice, a botanical extract or a skincare ingredient, but a living connection between ancient knowledge and modern curiosity. As we continue to celebrate this remarkable botanical, we also have an opportunity to honour the cultures that first cultivated, understood and shared it with the world. In doing so, we preserve not only the history of Turmeric, but also an appreciation for the enduring wisdom that continues to inspire future generations.
References
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Kew Science. Plants of the World Online – Curcuma longa L. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:796451-1 -
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Turmeric.
https://www.britannica.com/plant/turmeric -
World History Encyclopedia. Indian Ocean Trade.
https://www.worldhistory.org/Indian_Ocean_Trade/ -
Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery. Turmeric and Curry: The Development of Indian Cuisine in Britain.
https://www.oxfordsymposium.org.uk -
A Review of Curcuma longa (Turmeric): Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5664031/ - Indonesia Ministry of Tourism / Cultural resources on Jamu and traditional wellness