![]() ![]() Suffering from a stomach ache? Take a cue from ancient Romans, who used the root to preserve other food and also wrapped it in slices of bread to alleviate troubled tummies, giving birth to what we know today as gingerbread. High in manganese, its many uses in Japanese and Chinese cooking suggests why Asians have considerable longevity.Ĭandied or steeped in tea, ginger is also notable for its pharmaceutical benefits and ability to diminish the symptoms of colds. (Consider it a preemptive strike: its underground habitat keeps it safe from pests, thereby enabling it to propagate.) Happen to stroll through a Chinese market? Ginger tends to be sold in both green and black, with the latter being a form of the root that’s scalded and then dried. While we tend to associate ginger with herbs, it’s actually a rhizome-a plant stem that grows in subterranean depths and perpendicular to gravity’s force. The nubby-fingered, pale brown root from which ginger blooms brims with health benefits and a sharp, pungent flavor, making its way into local fare that ranges from pickled ginger at sushi bars to thin slices in hot bowls of ramen. Its earliest usages-which remain in effect to this day-were bound up in its medicinal and culinary merits. There, it was broadly embraced at one point, it was known as one of the most popular spices, second only to pepper. Originally grown in Southeast Asia-where India possesses the largest number of varietals- ginger made a circuitous route to Hawaii, first traveling to Europe in 800 AD during the Roman-helmed spice trade. Hailing from the Zingiberaceae family, ginger is a ubiquitous tropical jewel, popping in foliage landscapes in lipstick reds and deep coral pinks. Mahalo to Haleakala EcoTours for the great ginger article! Trek through a forest in Hana or drive through Haiku and you’ll likely come face to face with one of Maui’s most beautiful and tantalizing flowers: the Hawaiian ginger, or ‘awapuhi.
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