Turmeric

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/turmeric

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific classification?Kingdom: Plantae, Order: Zingiberales, Family: Zingiberaceae, Genus: Curcuma, Species: C. longa
2. What is the geographic origin?Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
3. What is turmeric and why does it make food yellow?Turmeric is a root from a plant that contains curcuminoids, especially curcumin, which gives it a bright yellow color.
4. Where does turmeric grow and what kind of weather does it need?It grows in warm places in India and Southeast Asia, needing temperatures between 20-30°C and lots of rain.

Rhizomatous: Having or growing from rhizomes, which are modified underground plant stems.
Herbaceous Plant: A plant that has non-woody stems and typically dies back to the ground at the end of the growing season.
Curcuminoids: A group of natural chemical compounds found in turmeric, responsible for its color and potential health effects.
Bioavailability: The degree and rate at which a substance (like curcumin) is absorbed into the bloodstream and becomes available to the body.