So going through my spices.... that bottle of turmeric ..... (556 views)

I never used turmeric much either until the last few years. Now I use it a lot. I would describe it as slightly bitter, earthy, and pepper like flavor. I use it in my chicken soup but here mainly for color so I usually only put 1 t. in a big pot. It makes the soup look so rich and we do eat with our eyes!! I also use it in Asian and Middle Eastern dishes. I love Hawaij spice mix (I make my own) which has turmeric as one of the components. This spice mix is also great in chicken soup and Gundi, a Persian chickpea dumpling soup. Turmeric is also a part of many curries. I have a pretty good spice pantry and I tend to make a lot of my own blends like ras el hanout, berbere, baharat etc... and some of these include turmeric as well. It is also great with lentils, especially red lentils, dals, and other bean dishes.

Turmeric is one of the most used spices in Indian cuisine BUT it needs to be used cautiously, otherwise it will overpower the food.
I never use turmeric raw; always cooked, and usually just quickly stir-fried in a little ghee. 
For a simple Indian spice mix, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 1/2 tsps coriander powder. You can finish the dish with a sprinkle of garam masala, which will add extra depth to the dish; add chiles or chile powder if you like the heat, stir-fry onion, garlic and ginger for a base; add yoghurt to make the sauce creamier, etc.

Curry powder is a mixture of many spices - usually heavy on the turmeric, mustard powder and fenugreek to make it yellow in colour. It´s really a quick fix, resolve anything mixture, and as it´s ground in an industrial grinder and jarred , the flavours tend to dissipate after about 4-5 months.