Dried chopped ginger root has stronger and more aromatic flavor profile than fresh ginger. In this chopped form this zesty warming spice is primarily made into tea infusions, syrups, or tinctures.
Combining this botanical with other citrus-like spices like lemongrass or coriander will enhance its zesty flavor, whereas using it with cinnamon will sweeten it and bring out its warmth.
Despite its ubiquity in many western cultures, there is no one universal formula for a "mulled spice mix."
QUICK INFO
ginger root
, chopped
PLANT PART
rhizome
PROCESSING / FORM
chopped
BOTANICAL NAME
Zingiber officinale
ORIGIN
India
BOTANICAL NAME
Zingiber officinale
AKA
ginger
The Zingiber officinale plant is thought to be native of Southeast Asia which is where it is still primarily produced, though Jamaica has been known to also yield quality crops. Like turmeric root, ginger root refers to the plants' rhizomes and not their actual roots. These rhizomes are the horizontal underground stems for which both plants are grown and harvested. Ginger's knobby rhizome grows in branches sometimes called fingers, together which make a 'hand.'
Ginger is harvested between 8-10 months after planting. Most young fresh ginger has flesh that is light yellow and juicy with a more mild flavor. As the rhizome matures, the thin easily-abraded skin thickens, the flesh darkens and becomes more fibrous, and its taste grows in pungency. The aromatic rhizome is then carefully dug from the soil and hand-rubbed to remove its outer most skin. It is then dried, sometimes bleached, and sold in a variety of forms for consumption including: fresh, dried, ground, preserved, and/or sugared.
When fresh ginger is dried it becomes less citrusy and its pungency increases since the drying process converts the flavor constituent gingerol to shogaol which has double the heat. When both are cooked they are converted to the more mildly spicy zingerone.
USAGE HINT
Heating ginger will soften its bite and make its spiciness more mild. The longer it is cooked the more gentle its spice will present itself.
QUICK FACT
The warty branched rhizome is sometimes called a 'hand' of ginger, with the branches being called 'fingers.'
