A Little Goes a Long Way

Author: Kate Cook

It may not be the prettiest of ingredients but adding a bit of fresh ginger to your meal is sure to give it a bit of punch that will elevate your recipe and wow your dinner guests.

This is an ingredient that is rooted in history. It has been recorded as one of the most commonly used ingredients in the world, and this is not just simply as a tasty addition to a meal. For thousands of years it has been used to treat ailments such as colds, nausea, arthritis, migraines, and hypertension, not to mention it being used in Chinese tradition to scare away evil spirits when a newborn child was first brought into the home. Being so versatile, ginger has been used for almost everything at this point — in the 19th century it was even known to be available in a salt shaker in pubs to sprinkle into your beer or ale, which some claim is how ginger ale first got started.

As for the ingredient itself, ginger is in between a spicy and a peppery flavour, it has a touch of zest to it as well as sweetness, and comes in a variety of forms from fresh to pickled to dried, plus you can even get candied ginger if you’d like to try something different. It is a cousin of bamboo but is more closely related to other ingredients like turmeric and cardamom. Although commonly known and recognised as a root, the edible portion of the ginger plant that we are familiar with is actually called a rhizome, which is not a root at all but a branch of the plant which grows underground. The plant is grown widely across the world in tropical regions, with India, China, and Nigeria being large producers, but even here on Australian soil we are producing approximately 8,000 tonnes each year mostly from the South Eastern region of Queensland. The plant was actually first brought to Australia with the first fleet, as it was considered to be a potential crop to be cultivated on this new land especially due to it’s high demand back in England, but it took another 150 years after it arrived before it began to be grown commercially.

Most kitchens will use ginger regularly in their cooking as it is such a versatile ingredient and adds so much flavour. No matter the season, a little bit of ginger can be added to a soup for some added warmth, to a salad for some added zest, or to sweet treats or cakes for a bit of variety. The many uses of this ingredient also carries across to how ginger has been used in different cuisines — in India it is often used in curries or in their famous chai tea, in South East Asia it is a common addition to soups and broths, and the Japanese often pickle ginger and use it as a condiment.

An ingredient this versatile is so easy to work into your diet, and with all it’s added health benefits you would be crazy not to try a little. Next time you visit your local greengrocer take a look at their ginger selection — it is said that the smooth and large “hands” of ginger are the best for flavour, but remember that a little goes a long way.