They’re the root, or more correctly, the rhizome of a tall, leafy plant which is related to bamboo. Its Latin name is Zingiber Officinale. Zingiber means ‘shaped like a horn’ and refers to the pieces of rhizome which do indeed look like an animal’s horns, especially when freshly picked as they are much fleshier than the specimens we see in supermarkets.
Forms of Ginger
- Fresh ginger is available in two forms. Young ginger, often called green ginger, has a pale, thin skin which you don’t need to peel, and is tender with a milder flavour. Mature ginger is what we most often see in supermarkets and has a tougher skin that must be peeled before grating or chopping the fibrous flesh.
- Pickled ginger, called ‘gari’ in Japan, is what you get in sushi. It is thinly sliced and preserved in sweet vinegar and is coloured red or pink. It has a slightly sweeter flavour than the fresh product.
- Preserved ginger is found in Asian specialty shops and has been preserved in a sugar-salt mixture. It is used in desserts and especially complements the flavour of melon.
- Crystallised or candied ginger has been cooked in a sugar syrup until it is tender and is used in confectionary though it can also be added to savoury dishes.
- Ginger juice is made from pressed ginger and again is used in cooking while ginger oil is used in perfumes and cosmetics.
- Ground ginger. In this form, ginger tastes quite different from the fresh root and cannot be substituted for it in recipes. It is most often used in baking such delicacies as gingerbread, ginger biscuits and puddings.
Where ginger grows
Ginger requires a hot, moist climate with plenty of sunshine and rain. Hence Queensland in Australia is becoming one of the most important areas for the cultivation of ginger although it is also grown as a cash crop in Africa, China and Latin America. It was first grown in Queensland in the early 1900’s but it was not until 1941 that a group of local farmers from Buderim decided to grow it as a commercial venture. They started off with £25 and 14 tons of raw ginger and today it has developed into a successful venture, employing 140 people in its ginger factory at Yandina.
History of Ginger
Ginger has a long history. It was grown originally in Asia probably about 5000 years ago, where it was used in food and also in medicine. In China, Shang dynasty rulers from before the 8th century BC had identified Sichuan as the site where the finest ginger was grown and Marco Polo on his travels reported seeing vast plantations of it growing in Cathay, as he called it.
By the first century AD it had been brought to the Mediterranean by traders and by the Middle Ages, ginger was highly valued, one pound of ginger buying a live sheep. In the sixteenth century, Henry VIII was recommending its use as a remedy for the plague while his daughter, Queen Elizabeth, is credited with the invention of the gingerbread man. The Spaniards took ginger with them to Mexico and the West Indies where it flourished, especially in Jamaica. In the nineteenth century, ginger ale was first made by adding powdered ginger to beer and stirring the mixture with a hot poker.
Cooking with Ginger
- Raw ginger is popular in South East Asia where it is grated and added to dishes just before serving. Ginger used this way has a spicy, pungent flavour. The longer ginger is cooked, the stronger the flavour.
- Thai cooking uses grated ginger while Indonesian uses the ginger to form a paste with chilis.
- Indonesians also make a tea from cooked ginger. In India, ginger is fried with garlic and onion to make a sauce for meat and vegetable dishes. Fried ginger has a mild, rich flavour.
- Chinese cookery uses fresh ginger, either boiled or fried. If the food requires a long cooking time, the ginger is sliced so that its flavour may be gradually released.
- Jamaican ginger is of high quality and is used in their native jerk dishes.
So next time you spot those knobbly lumps in the supermarket, remember that ginger has a long and venerable history and a great many uses in cooking. Where would we be without ginger in our lives!
