turmeric. Though we get cardamom from the seed of the plant, turmeric, like ginger, also grows as

an underground root part.

Ginger is a rhizome that looks like a thickened misshapen root but in fact is an enlarged

underground stem, like a potato, instead of a true root like horseradish or carrot. This rhizome grows

horizontally just below the soil surface and can produce new shoots to grow new plants.

Ginger is a tropical plant and mainly China, India and Jamaica grow it. The Hawaiian crop

supplies much of the American market.

For those who are interested in hows and whys of ginger, there are three chemical

compounds responsible for ginger's overall flavor and pungency: zingerone, shogaol and gingerol.

To compare their pungency to chili (see explanation of Scoville Scale under chili peppers, How hot

is your chili?), shogaol rates 15,000 and gingerol 8,000 Scoville units. That is equivalent to a

medium hot chili.

Ginger in cooking

In cooking we use three different forms of ginger—green (also called young or baby)

ginger, mature ginger, which is the common one and ginger powder. Green ginger is like green

onion, that they harvest very young, 5 to 7 months after planting. The young ginger is mild, almost

delicate compared to fully mature ginger. Oriental cooks use it in stir-fries, but young ginger is

pleasant preserved in brine or syrup. You only find young ginger in Asian markets.

Mature ginger has a full, sharp, biting flavor, and is 8 to 10 months old when harvested.

Dried ginger powder, same as our ginger spice, is dehydrated and pulverized mature ginger. Most

American home cooks only knew ginger in this form until relatively recently when fresh ginger

turned trendy and became available in any half-decent market.

Ginger's rough, uneven surface is a nuisance to peel or scrape clean and it is entirely

unnecessary. Just scrub the root thoroughly with water and use as is. To mince ginger with your

French knife, chop it first into coarse pieces then continue chopping until fine enough for your

purpose. If you are master of your knife, it takes seconds. You may also use a garlic press, but it

wastes a lot, and then there is the cleanup. Grating with a small grater works well, too.

TASTINGS Ginger flavoring in industrial kitchens

The food processing industry prefers to use concentrated forms instead of fresh

ginger, using ginger oleoresin (see under Flavorings) which is ginger essential oil

dissolved in a paraffin-like substance. One hundred pounds (100 kg) of fresh ginger

root yields 4 pounds (4 kg) of ginger oleoresin. They prefer this form because it

stores well for a very long time, always readily available irrespective of harvest

conditions and has a consistent concentration no matter where the ginger came from.

If you use ginger often in your kitchen, as I do, try this method. Chop up about ¼ pound

(100 g) at a time in the food processor until very fine, stopping and scraping the bowl two or three

times. Freeze extras in several airtight containers, and stash whatever you use in the next couple of

weeks in the refrigerator. In this form it keeps fine for weeks if refrigerated, for several months if

frozen. This is a very convenient way to have minced ginger on hand at all times, although you lose

some flavor with storage. Keep no more than a six-month supply.

Here are two interesting facts about ginger in your kitchen. Cooking ginger in water or oil

mutes its pungency. But if you cook it in acidified liquid (lemon juice or vinegar), you noticeably

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