Ginger

lat. Zingiber officinale

Group: Spices

Along with cardamom and turmeric, ginger is a tropical plant from the Ginger family (Zingiberaceae). The plant came from South-Eastern Asia, China and Western India. People fell in love with ginger hundreds of years ago and now it is cultivated in Africa, South America, Malaysia and Caribbean countries, Nepal, Japan, etc.

There are over 1000 species of the ginger family. The whole plant has a fragrance, but mostly the roots (actually rhizomes ) are used. There are so many uses of ginger root: esthetics, perfumery, medicinal, culinary. Ginger flowers are big red or pink bud clusters, commonly used in the floral and landscape design industry for their bright colours, strong stems and long-lasting flowers.

Flower of ginger

In culinary, it has been used in beer and in the liqueur industry. You bake with ginger, make soups and teas... This is my recent recipe for miso soup with ginger. I've tried it a few times already and this is my best soup so far: put mushrooms, tofu, bok choi, bean sprouts, soy paste, carrots and potatoes in water. When you feel it's cooked, add ground ginger and toasted seaweeds. Just don't overdose! Tastes amazing!

Also, I am using ginger tea to help with spring body cleansing. This is the recipe: fresh mint leaves, a couple cardamoms, a little bit of lemon grass and cut ginger. Sip for about 10 minutes and enjoy!!! In Western cuisine, ginger is traditionally used mainly in sweet foods such as ginger ale, gingerbread, ginger snaps, ginger biscuits...

The gingerbread that is so popular in Europe actually biscuits with spices. The history of gingerbread baking comes from 9th century when instead of spices people added honey, nuts and raisins, herbs, berries and roots. Then eastern exotic spices were discovered gingerbread transformed its taste. Black pepper, ginger, clove, anise, mint, nutmeg, lemon, vanilla changed gingerbread forever.

Even though it's called GINGERbread ginger is not a main ingredient. Doesn't matter! This sweet treat is one of our favorites! Soft, spicy and delicious it's a good addition to morning tea or Moroccan coffee as well as evening glass of milk.

India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh use fresh ginger as one of the main spices for cooking. Fresh, as well as dried, ginger is used to spice tea and coffee, especially in winter. Ginger powder and chopped or ground roots are also used in many food preparations; ginger is also consumed in candied and pickled form.

In Burma, ginger is widely used in cooking and as a main ingredient in traditional medicines. It is also consumed as a salad dish, which consists of shredded ginger preserved in oil, and a variety of nuts and seeds. In Indonesia, a beverage is made from ginger and palm sugar. In Malaysia, Philippines and China, ginger is used in many kinds of dishes, especially in soups and teas. In Vietnam, the fresh leaves, finely chopped, can also be added as a top garnish and spice to add a much subtler flavour of ginger than the chopped root.

In Japan, ginger is pickled or turned into a candy. In the traditional Korean kimchi, ginger is finely minced and added to the ingredients of the spicy paste just before the fermenting process. In the Caribbean, ginger is a popular spice for cooking, and making drinks. Jamaicans make ginger tea from fresh ginger, as well as the famous regional specialty Jamaican ginger cake and ginger beer. Tea brewed from ginger is a common folk remedy for colds. Ginger ale and ginger beer are also drunk as stomach-settlers in countries where the beverages are made. Ginger water was also used to avoid heat cramps in the United States.

Ginger is a very strong antiseptic and antibacterial and is widely used in many countries to prevent, heal colds and just to support the immune system.

Fresh, dried and powdered ginger root has been used for thousands of years to alleviate nausea and improve circulation. What about its perfume characteristics? The aroma is very bright, tart, fresh, warm, exotic, tonic, a little bit bitter... The main active ingredients of ginger oil are: curcumene, alpha-zingiberene, citral, geraniol. This tropical exotic fragrance would go together with jasmine, neroli, lavender, mint, rose, bergamot, basil, patchouli, juniper, lemongrass.