Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is the washed and dried root of the colorful tropical and semi-tropical herb which belongs to the ginger, Zingberaceae, family. Native to tropical Asia, ginger is extensively culitvated in Africa, China, the Dutch East Indies [Indonesia], Hindustan, India, Japan and the West Indies; especially Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The plant has recently been introduced in the subtropical section of southern Florida and it is perhaps the only region in the continental United States where the climate is at all favorable for its cultivation. African ginger root is somewhat yellowish and is used chiefly for grinding and blending with other gingers where color is not the important factor. Its flavor is extremely pungent and the aroma is not so delicate as that of the Jamaica ginger. Both the Chinese and Japanese ginger roots are very irregular in shape. Most of the Chinese root reaches our markets as "preserved ginger"; and the flavor combined with the sweet syrup is interestingly pungent. The Japanese root looks like the Cochin ginger but is not so aromatic or flavorful. It reaches our markets dried and limed, i.e. peeled, bleached, and coated with calcium carbonate, ready for grinding. The three best grades and flavors of ginger are the roots which reach us from Africa, India, and the West Indies. The root from India is grown chiefly along the Malabar coast. The two chief areas of production are Calicut and Cochin. These gingers, especially the Cochin ginger, are important ingredients of all the delicious Indian chutneys. The pieces are very irregular in size and shape. The color is pale brown, and both the flavor and aroma are delightfully pungent. Jamaica ginger is the best quality of all the gingers. The root pieces are a very light buff color and they are clean and free from any corkiness. Both the taste and the aroma are intensely agreeable. The sugared, dried ginger is the boiled rhizome which has been dried and then sugared. Most of our preserved and sugared ginger reaches us from Canton and Hong Kong. Ginger's spicy-sweet pungency has pleased the palate of mankind since antiquity. Its uses are so infintie in number that only a few of them can possibly be suggested. The food products of bakers, confectioners, spice grinders, canners, and the meat packers all contain this perfect flavoring. If there is any flavoring in the world that could possibly make a filet mignon taste better than it does with just plain salt and pepper, it is ground ginger. Try blending 1/2 teasppoon of this pungent spice with the salt and pepper seasoning for steaks, then simply rub the meat on both sides before broiling and experience one of the biggest taste thrills of your life. Poultry and pot roasts are delicious when lightly sprinkled or dredged with flour and ginger before cooking. All meat loaves are pepped up with a bit of ginger added, especially when the loaf contains corned beef. Gingerbread, cakes, and cookies are the old standbys, and most of us have had a "gingerbread man" for Christmas eating ever since we can remember. These are but a few of the ways in which ginger became a favorite spice. Applesauce, chutneys, stewed fruits, puddings, condiments, jellies, and pickles all make use of the sweet tanginess of ground ginger. The whole root gives that wonderful spiciness and tang to ginger ale and ginger beer; even rum is flavored with it. In all events, ginger has been the one commercial spice which has held it own with pepper through all the phases of history. In England, long before the Norman Conquest, a pound of ginger was worth the price of a good fatted sheep. Today we may not trade our ginger for sheep, but we season our sheep with it, as well as beef, chicken, turkey, and veal.

Source: Miloradovich, Milo (1950). Cooking with Herbs and Spices. New York: Dover; pp. 226-228.