Welcome to the Celtnet Spice Guide. As this site has grown and many more recipes have been added it's become evident that a guide to the various herbs available to the cook is necessary. With spices becoming more commonly available and more exotic spices becoming available from all over the world it has become evident that some kind of guide or introduction to spices is necessary. These pages are an attempt at bringing all the various culinary spices together into one place so that you can see what's available and perhaps find something new to use in your own cooking. To use this Spice Guide simply click on the first letter of the herb name above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the guide. All the spices given here, whether common or rare, can be obtained via your local supermarket (or more often via your local Asian supermarket) or via a specialist spice distributor.

This is the description page for Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the herb: Ginger.

Ginger, Zingiber officinale is the archetypical member of the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family and though it is generally termed as 'ginger root' the spice is actually the rhizome of the plant. Originating in southern China, cultivation of ginger spread to India, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean. Ginger itself is a perennial reed-like plant with leafy stems that replace themselves annually. These eventually produce clusters of white and pink flower buds that bloom into yellow flowers and because of this ginger is often used as a landscaping plant around sub-tropical homes.

The commonest form of ginger (also called 'white ginger') is a fat rhizome with a pale skin. Yet, this is not the only form of Zingiber officinale commonly under cultivation. The 'Jamaica' or 'White African' (also known in Africa as 'red ginger') form has a short rhizome which is light brown to red in colour (above, right), is very pungent and has a slightly bitter aftertaste. The Cochin ginger has an even shorter rhizome and has a red-grey colour which, again, is very pungent. Primarily African and Cochin gingers are primarily for their resin and volatile oils, but they are used as a spice in their countries of origin (mostly West Africa) and are commonly sold in markets there where their increased pungency fits well with the pungency of West African 'soups' (stews)

Young ginger roots 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. 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 cover up other strong odours and flavours such as in seafood and mutton. Ginger has been used in European cuisine since Medieval times when it arrived as a dried spice and gave rise to Ginger Bread. It is also used in almost all cuisines worldwide and has become an essential ingredient of many recipes (especically Chinese recipes). Fresh ginger can also be finely grated and used sparingly gives an added piquancy to many soups. Ginger cut into fine matchsticks also makes a wonderful addition to any stir-fry and is a great accompaniment to steamed fish.

In terms of its sensory quality, fresh ginger has a mild lemony scent and a warm, pungent taste and the pungency intensifies on drying. The main component of the essential oil are sesquiterpenes, though the pungency is created by a non-volatile resin within the rhizome that contains the same kind of hydroxyaryl compound as found in other members of the ginger family (eg Zingerone, gingeroles and shoagoles). It should be noted that the pungent gingeroles degrade to milder shoagoles during storage. As a result, good pungency (ie high gingerole content) is an indication of the freshness and quality of ginger.

Recent evidence suggests that ginger is native to Southern China, though the major producers today are India, Brazil and Jamaica (where the best quality of ginger is found) as well as Nigeria (here the ginger is more pungent but less aromatic, fitting well with Nigerian cuisine).

In ancient times, all European ginger was sourced, ultimately, from India. As a result, the word for ginger in most European languages derives from the Late Latin gingiber, itself derived from the Latin zingiber (though it should be noted that the Welsh form, sinsir remains true to the original) which is derived from the Greek zingiberis [ζιγγίβερις] which, unsurprisingly is a cognate of the Sanskrit shringavera [शृंगवेर]. The English word, ginger (Middle English gingifer, Old English gingivere) originates from the Old French gingivie.

In Europe, ginger was a very important spice for the Ancient Romans (both fresh and dried) and dried ginger was commonly used in Medieval cuisine, being the base for many spice powders. However, ginger fell out of favour in European cooking after the middle ages (the exception being British cakes, particularly gingerbreads) where ginger was still used. It was only during the Georgina period, with stronger links to the Indian sub-continent that ginger became a common spice in Britain again, though its use tended to be limited to ground ginger used in spiced cakes and biscuits.