Ginger is said to have more than 1000 benefits! This illustrious plant deserves to be studied in order to enjoy its many uses.
Perennial plant with tubercles, the root of ginger appears in the form of a characteristically twisted rhizome. Harvested after flowering, the ginger is kept fresh, dried or even candied. From the same family as turmeric, this plant’s wonderful flavor is used in a variety of dishes, from starter to dessert. It is given the status of a superfood, given its high content of antioxidants, which protect our cells from free radical damage.
Powdered or grated in soups, used in pieces in herbal teas or in various exotic dishes, ginger is a storehouse of natural compounds, some of which are even resistant to the heat of cooking.
Wonderfully versatile!
Ginger has long been used in traditional medicine for its digestive and anti-nausea properties. Some even consider it an aphrodisiac!
The medicinal characteristics of ginger come mainly from an abundance of gingerol, an oleoresin.
As an herbal tea, combined with honey and lemon, it can help digestion and reduce gas … or even stimulate appetite before a meal!
In powder, tablets, or candied pieces, it can prevent nausea and motion sickness. However, the undesirable effects noted in certain studies warn against the use of ginger for pregnancy-related nausea.
In essential oil form, its soothing anti-inflammatory properties help calm headaches, rheumatism, muscle pain and arthritis.
Gingerol may also reduce the risk of infections, especially with inflamed gums.
GINGer FLOWER
Where is he from?
Appreciated since ancient times, ginger is native to Asia, particularly India and Malaysia. It has been consumed for over 5,000 years.
Over the years, ginger’s popularity extended as far as Sri Lanka, Jamaica, the West Indies, Brazil and Central America. In some writings from the Salerno School of Medicine in Italy, the first institute of its kind to emerge in Europe in the Middle Ages, we see that the heat of ginger counters the cold of the stomach, kidneys and lungs. In the 1st century AD, the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder mentions it in his writings as a root with anti-poison properties. In the middle of the 16th century, the Spanish colonists succeeded in cultivating it in the Antilles.
The term ginger is derived from the Sanskrit “shringavera” which translates to “in the shape of a deer’s antler.” Deriving from the Greek term “ziggiberis,” it became “zingiber” in Latin, then “gingibre” in Old French, to arrive at “gingembre” around the year 1256.
Ginger entered the culinary traditions of France and Germany in the 9th century and its success then spread to England in the 10th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries, in Europe, ginger was all the rage in pastries, when bakers found that its aromatic properties wonderfully concealed the often rancid taste of the flours of the time.
Today, depending on the country where it is grown, ginger expresses different aromas. Jamaican ginger is rather delicate in taste, Australian is sweeter and lemony, African ginger is full-bodied, while Indian has a particularly lemony taste.
Do you know about the ginger jar?
This small jar, often made of porcelain, called “hu” in Chinese which means “jar,” is a traditional gift given to the bride and groom in China, and which helps to preserve the precious rhizome. The painters Van Gogh, Toussaint and Cézanne even incorporated these ginger jars, very popular in the 18th century, into some of their paintings.
How to store ginger
Fresh ginger can be stored for two to three weeks in the refrigerator on a shelf. It is best to avoid the vegetable drawer: excessive moisture can cause it to mold.
It can be stored in the freezer and grated frozen to prevent it from becoming soggy.
It can also be macerated in alcohol such as brandy or sherry, or candied in sugar syrup or maple syrup.
Whether marinated in vinegar for salads or sushi, candied or crystallized for cookies and other desserts, dried or ground for breads, puddings, sweets or stews, in pieces for herbal teas or Asian soups … ginger is a superb ally in the kitchen as well as in traditional pharmacopoeia. It really knows how to make itself loved a little, a lot, passionately!
Sources :
https://www.futura-sciences.com/sante/questions-reponses/nutrition-gingembre-sont-bienfaits-1644/
https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Nutrition/EncyclopedieAliments/Fiche.aspx?doc=gingembre_nu
https://www.nats-up.com/smartblog/9_le-gingembre-histoires-vertus.html
https://boutique.serescollection.com/blogs/news/chinese-ginger-jar
https://www.deco.fr/jardin-jardinage/plante-potagere/gingembre
https://www.doctissimo.fr/html/sante/phytotherapie/plante-medicinale/gingembre.htm
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger