Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry
as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can
also be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey
is often added as a sweetener; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be
added. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from
old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Chinese cuisine to flavor dishes such as seafood or mutton. Powdered dry ginger root (ginger powder) is typically used to add spiciness to gingerbread
and other recipes. Ground and fresh ginger taste quite different and
ground ginger is a poor substitute for fresh ginger. Fresh ginger can
be successfully substituted for ground ginger and should be done at a
ratio of 6 parts fresh for 1 part ground.
Ginger is also made into candy and used as a flavoring for cookies, crackers and cake, and is the main flavor in ginger ale-- a sweet, carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage, as well as the similar, but somewhat spicier beverage ginger beer.
[edit] Regional uses
In Western cuisine, ginger is traditionally restricted to sweet foods, such as ginger ale, gingerbread, ginger snaps, ginger cake and ginger biscuits. A ginger-flavored liqueur called Canton is produced in Jarnac, France. Green ginger wine is a ginger flavoured wine produced in the United Kingdom, traditionally sold in a green glass bottle. Ginger is also used as a spice added to hot coffee and tea.
In Arabic, ginger is called Zanjabil and in some parts of the Middle East ginger powder is used as a spice for coffee.
In India, ginger is called "Aadu" in Gujarati, "Shoonti" in Kannada language[Karnataka], Allam in Telugu, Inji in Tamil and Malayalam, Alay in Marathi and Adrak in Hindi and Urdu.
Fresh ginger is one of the main spices used for making pulse and lentil
curries and other vegetable preparations. It is used fresh to spice tea
especially in winter. Also, ginger powder is used in certain food
preparations that are made particularly for expecting women and feeding
mothers, the most popular one being Katlu which is a mixture of gum resin, ghee, nuts and sugar.
In south India, ginger is used in the production of a candy called
Inji-murappa ("ginger candy" from Tamil). This candy is mostly sold by
vendors to bus passengers in bus stops and in small tea shops as a
locally produced item. Candied ginger is also very famous around these
parts. Additionally, in Tamil Nadu,
especially in the Tanjore belt, a variety of ginger which is less spicy
is used when tender to make fresh pickle with the combination of lemon
juice or vinegar, salt and tender green chillies. This kind of pickle
was generally made before the invention of refrigeration and stored for
a maximum of 4-5 days. The pickle gains a mature flavor when the juices
cook the ginger over the first 24 hours. Ginger is also added as a
flavouring in tea.
In Japan, ginger is pickled to make beni shoga and gari or grated and used raw on tofu or noodles.
In Myanmar, ginger is used in a salad dish called gyin-tho, which consists of shredded ginger preserved in oil, and a variety of nuts and seeds.
Indonesia
has a famous beverage that called Wedang Jahe, which is made from
ginger and palm sugar; Indonesians also use ground ginger root, called jahe or djahe, as a frequent ingredient in local recipes.
In traditional Korean kimchi, ginger is finely minced and added to the ingredients of the spicy paste just before the fermenting process.
In South East Asia, the flower of a type of ginger is used in cooking. This unopened flower is known in the Malay language as Bunga Kantan, and is used in salads and also as garnish for sour-savoury soups, like Assam Laksa.
In the Ivory Coast, ginger is ground and mixed with orange, pineapple and lemon to produce a juice called Nyamanku.