Ginger

Ginger is the root stock of a reedy and very decorative plant, with a height of 1.5m and purple to violet blossoms. The horizontally spreading root becomes up to 50cm long, is tuberous branching, similar to the fingers of a hand, outside brownish, inside yellow and slightly fibrous. It has a mild and pleasingly aromatic odour and its characteristic burningly hot, slightly sweetish, pungent taste, especially when used in larger quantity. It is pleasantly warming and antiseptic due to its sulphur content.

Originally grown in the warm-humid tropical rain forests of East Asia. Today's cultivation centres are the Malabar Coast of India, also Bengal and the Punjab, in Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Jamaica, Sierra Leone (West Africa), Nigeria, Brazil and other tropical and subtropical regions.