A mainstay of English baking, ( Queen Elizabeth I , the Virgin
Queen, has been credited with the invention of the gingerbread man ), ginger
also has a firm hold on the hearts and tongues of New Englanders who are
perhaps fonder of gingerbread, ginger ale, ginger beer and candied ginger
and even ginger ice cream, when it can be found, than many others. Ginger
in its raw, pungent state is of course central to Asian cookery and also
lately has become important to healthy types who chew garlic and ginger
or sip ginger tea to ward off colds. A native of Asia, probably India,
ginger was an early favorite of the Romans, who imported it via Egypt and
couldn't get enough of it, evidently. It was more easily shipped than most
seasonings, as it came then as now, in root form. Strictly speaking, the
part of the plant we use is called a rhizome, similar to those iris "bulbs"
we forget to plant each fall.
Click image to enlarge.
Postcard image of people peeling ginger in Jamaica. Jamaica is still a
large producer of ginger.
Chinese ginger jars stored the prepared root. This jar is missing its lid.
