Ginger is one spice that should be in every kitchen. The perfect epicuri-muse, Ginger will inspire you to add some zing to just about any dish. And while store bought ginger-ale is more fizz than flavor, homemade ginger ale really gives your taste buds a treat!
Taking its name from the Sanskrit word stringa-vera, which literally translated means “body like a horn,” ginger is an amazingly versatile spice. Native to India and China, it is used in baking, cooking and medicinally. Search for this spice and you’ll find it mentioned in the Koran, the writings of Confucious and in countless articles and Renaissance texts. At one point this aromatic became so popular it was used as often as salt and pepper.
To get the freshest flavor, look for the whole root. With skin that varies from light brown to off-white and an interior of ale yellow, fresh ginger offers the best flavor and aroma. Dried roots are sold whole or sliced with their skin left on or off. Powdered ginger is the buff-colored ground spice made from dried root. Preserved ginger is made from fresh young roots, peeled and sliced, then cooked in a heavy sugar syrup. The ginger pieces and syrup are canned together. They are soft and pulpy, but extremely hot and spicy. Crystallized ginger, which is used a great deal in baking, is also cooked in sugar syrup, then air dried and rolled in sugar. Finally, pickled ginger has the root sliced paper-thin and is pickled in a vinegar solution. This delicacy often accompanies sushi.
In cooking ginger is almost always used fresh, either minced, crushed or sliced. Fresh ginger can be kept for several weeks in the salad drawer of the refrigerator. Dried ginger should be ‘bruised’ by beating it to open the fibers, then infused in the cooking or making ginger beer and removed when the flavor is sufficient. Store dried and powdered ginger in airtight containers.
Ginger beer, ginger ale, ginger wine and ginger tea make use of the aromatic properties of this spice to add another dimension to these beverages. Preserved ginger is eaten as a confection, chopped up for cakes and puddings, and is sometimes used as an ice cream ingredient.
Medicinally, ginger is known to have aphrodisiac powers, taken either internally or externally. It is mentioned in the Karma Sutra, and in the Melanesian Islands of the South Pacific it is employed ‘to gain the affection of a woman’. Conversely, in the Philippines it is chewed to expel evil spirits. Ginger is also known as a diaphoretic (something that causes a person to sweat). Of course ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. By increasing the production of digestive fluids and saliva, Ginger helps relieve indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Ginger root is also used to treat nausea related to both motion sickness and morning sickness. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms. Ginger’s therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin.
