Thanks, jennyema. If you do a Google search for "tumeric in chili" you will find many, many recipes. It is indeed common in chili. For my old chili, I don't use tumeric, but now that I'm trying to duplicate an existing chili, I have to use the ingredients that make my new chili look, taste, and smell like what I'm imitating. The two biggest "ah-ha" moments came when I discovered cumin and when I discovered tumeric. Cumin for the flavor, and tumeric for the flavor and color. I had been trying tomatoes, paprika, and chili powder to achieve the orange color and staining capabilities of what I've gotten from the restaurant. None of that worked. Then I found turmeric. It improved the flavor, matched the color, and contributed the staining. I'm not saying the staining is a good thing, but it's a characteristic of the chili I want to duplicate, so it's part of the deal. So yeah, in my ideal personal chili recipe, tumeric wouldn't play a role, but it is common in chili, and to meet my goals with this recipe, it appears to be essential.
Thanks again.
Steven.