Ginger is a perennial herb (Zingiber officinale) whose rhizome, or branched rhizome, has been used for centuries in traditional Asian, Indian and Arabic medicine.
Apart from being a medicine, it is also used as a food supplement and spice.
It originates from southern China, with the first records of its exploitation dating back 4,400 years. It is also interesting to note that ginger is related to turmeric and cardamom.
This useful root is more than a spice, it is good for the human body to an astonishing degree, so it deserves our attention.
In addition to flavoring many dishes and drinks in a specific way with its unique, strong and characteristic taste and spiciness, ginger helps us fight many diseases and ailments, including arthritis, colds, muscle and throat pain, high blood pressure and cholesterol, overweight, stomach problems and migraines. It has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects.
Ginger root is easily found in store chains, but can be easily grown at home in a pot.
If you buy it, choose rhizomes, which have a fresh look and are tender and brittle. Avoid those with wrinkled and wilting crust.
Although in some recipes it is not a problem to use ginger with the skin, the better option is to remove it.
The easiest way to clean ginger is with a spoon or a not very sharp knife or peeler, just by scraping it.
The aim is not to remove parts of the valuable root, therefore it should not be peeled like a fruit or vegetable. If the skin is stubborn in places and does not come off, then you need to immerse the root in water and that way it will soften and it will be easier to remove.
You can cut the cleaned ginger root into circles, juliennes or grate it.
When it is coarsely chopped, it is removed after the heat treatment, since it has already released its aromas and oils.
In case it is finely grated in a dish, marinade or sauce, it merges with it and enriches it with its unique taste and spiciness.
To perfectly scrape the root and prevent its hairs from remaining intact, it needs to be turned and rotated in the process of scraping.
The most suitable device for this purpose is the so-called Oroshigane - an Asian fine grater with an adjacent container in which the juice separated during scraping is collected - that way not a single part of the valuable root is lost.
For information, this device is also used to process wasabi and turmeric roots.
Ginger - both dried (powdered) and fresh, has countless of applications. Added to:
- smoothies, teas and decoctions, compresses, fruit juices.
- marinades and vinaigrettes
- sauces and soups
- to fish, meat and vegetables
- biscuits and all kinds of confectionery
- marinated is a great company for sushi;
- jammed in sugar syrup is used as a soft and hard spicy candy.
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