On dyed curcurbits, bitter tastes, and false food narratives
I’ve been thinking about food and aesthetics recently, and in particular, about what we can learn when we consider our relationship to color and to food. Turmeric came to mind first, and it turns out the deep dive into turmeric and color pulled me through a fascinating history of turmeric as medicine, as well as some surprising lessons we can take from turmeric today.
Turmeric has long been used as a dye for clothes as well as for food, and as a way to add yellow to finished dishes. Julia Fine, who has studied the history of turmeric, gives us a new way to think about how the flavor and color results in “participation in the Empire through food”. She notes that “The coloring of turmeric allowed British eaters who may or may not have ever been to the subcontinent to emulate presumed Indian originals [in this case making ‘mangoes’ by pickling melons].” As a result, “Turmeric…thus became a tool through which British people could participate in and translate the Imperial project to their own homes.”[i]
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