Ginger of commerce is the dried underground stem of the
herbaceous tropical plant grown as an
annual. The whole plant is refreshingly aromatic and the
underground rhizome, raw or processed, is
valued as spice. Ginger is a slender perennial herb, 30-50
cm tall with palmately branched rhizome
bearing leafy shoots. The leafy shoot is a pseudo stem
formed by leaf sheath and bears 8 to 12
Distichous leaves.
ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION
It is a tropical plant with its center of origin in India
and Malaysia. Now it is widely cultivated in India,
Jamaica, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Malaysia, Southern China, and
Japan. Ginger requires warm and
Humid climate thrives well from sea level to an altitude
of 1500 mars above MSL. A well
Distributed rainfall (150 to 300cm) during the growing season
and dry spells during land preparation and
Harvesting is required for the crop. Though grows on a wide
range of soils, lateritic loams are
Preferred for higher yields.
USES
Fresh ginger, dry ginger powder, oleoresin, and oil are used
in food processing. It is indispensable in
The manufacture of gingerbread, confectionary, ginger ale,
curry powders, certain curried meats,
Table sauces, in pickling and in the manufacture of certain
cordials, ginger cocktail, carbonated drinks,
Liquors etc. In medicine, it is used as a carminative and
stimulant. It has wider applications in
Indigenous medicines. Ginger oil is used as a food flavoring
in soft drinks.
FOREIGN NAME OF SPICES
Spanish : Jengibre French : Gingembre German : Ingwer
Swedish : Ingefara Arabic : Zanjabil Dutch
: Gember Italian: Zenzero Portuguese: Gengibre Russian: Imber Japanese: Shoga Chinese :
Chiang Hindi: Adrak Bengali: Ada Gujarati: Adu Kannada:
Shunti, Ardraka Malayalam: Inchi
Marathi: Ale Oriya: Ada Punjabi: Adrak Sanskrit: Ardraka
Tamil: Inji Telugu: Allamu, Sonthi Urdu
: Adrak, Andhra
