The Complete Guide To Using Ginger In Your Home Cooking

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a perennial evergreen plant native to the tropics of Asia. It belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, which also includes turmeric, galangal, and cardamom.

While ginger is technically a plant, the knobby, thick-skinned root is used by cooks or herbalists. Inside the skin is a fibrous flesh that can be chopped, grated, or juiced.

Ginger was first cultivated around 5,000 years ago. In later antiquity, it became an important part of the spice trade, making its way to Ancient Greece and Rome from India.

Both ancient Greeks and medieval Europeans used ginger in bread to aid in digestion. Arabic traders controlled the flow of ginger to the West, where it was beloved for sweets.

In general, the taste of ginger is fresh, sharp, spicy, and warm. A variety of compounds are responsible for this flavor profile, but not all ginger is created equally.

The main ingredient that makes ginger sharp and hot is gingerol, related to capsaicin and piperine, which make hot peppers and black pepper spicy, respectively.

If you want the best results from your ginger recipes, look for ginger that has an evenly colored, firm peel. Avoid shriveled ginger with dry spots or mushy places.

Choose a whole ginger root, with no pieces snapped off. Each time a knob gets removed, it provides an opening through which moisture can evaporate, drying out your root.

Fresh ginger may come from the store as a root covered in skin, pre-peeled, or chopped in a jar with liquid. Dried varieties are usually powdered.

Some sources say ground ginger is warming, while fresh ginger is more refreshing. For health issues, the dried variety contains more concentrated nutrients.