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Ginger is a
tuber which is consumed whole as a delicacy,
medicine or used as spice for cooking or
tea. It is the underground stem of the
ginger plant, Zingiber officinale. Besides
its genus, the plant family to which it
belongs--Zingiberaceae--was also named after
ginger. Other notable members of this plant
family are turmeric, cardamom and galangal.
The ginger plant has a long history of
cultivation, having originated in Asia and
is grown in India, Southeast Asia, West
Africa and the Caribbean. It is sometimes
called "root ginger" to distinguish it from
other things that share the name "ginger".
Culinary uses
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[citation needed] and is often used as
a spice in Indian recipes and Chinese
cuisine to flavor dishes such as seafood or
mutton and vegetarian recipes. Powdered dry
ginger root (ginger powder) is typically
used to spice gingerbread and other recipes.
Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground
ginger at a ratio of 6 parts fresh for 1
part ground, although the flavors of fresh
and dried ginger are not exactly
interchangeable.
Ginger is also made into candy, is 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 spicier ginger
beer which is popular in the Caribbean.
Fresh ginger should be peeled before being
eaten[citation needed]. For storage, the
ginger should be wrapped tightly in a towel
and placed in a plastic bag, and can be kept
for about three weeks in a refrigerator and
up to three months in a freezer
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