Spice Nest
What follows is a Spice Nest article that looks at the popular culinary spice ginger and some of its culinary and health uses.
Ginger
Ginger (latin name: zingiber officinale) ia a spice we commonly call root ginger and it is actually the underground stem, not the root of the ginger plant.
Ginger has been used for thousands of years by the Chinese as both a culinary and a health giving spice.
The characteristic aroma associalted with ginger is producsed by a mixture of the volatile oils zingerone, shogaols and gingerols which comprise around three percent of the total weight of the fresh ginger stem.
In cooking, ginger is often used as a flavouring in Indian curry dishes as well as many Chinese dishes. It is also used in some Mediterranean and Arabic dishes.
Ginger Tea
Ginger tea is a popular warming beverage which is made by pouring boiling water over several thin slices of fresh ginger stem (it can also be grated) to which some honey is added for sweetness. The tea is naturally warming and mildly antiseptic, antibiotic and antuviral making it very good for helping the body to fight off colds and flu.
The tea is also very good for settling an upset stomach and it is also well known for helping to reduce the effects of motion sickness which is especially prevalent on long car journeys.
Janice White
Spice Nest
