Ginger
Fresh ginger root brings a bright, spicy warmth to everything from stir-fries to cocktails — it’s a true kitchen workhorse.
In a nutshell
Ginger is a knobby, aromatic rhizome with a sharp, peppery heat and a hint of citrus. It’s used fresh, dried, pickled, and candied across nearly every cuisine on earth. A little goes a long way, and it layers beautifully into both savory and sweet dishes.
Nutrition
≈ 11 Calories and 0.1g fat per tablespoon.
Ginger is very low in fat and calories, with most of its carbohydrates coming from starches and a modest hit of dietary fiber that supports digestion. Its real nutritional story, though, is in its bioactive compounds — chiefly gingerol, the compound responsible for fresh ginger’s sharp bite, which research links to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Shogaol, formed when ginger is dried or cooked, is similarly potent. Ginger has long been studied for easing nausea, supporting gut motility, and reducing exercise-induced muscle soreness, making it one of the more functional ingredients in a typical kitchen. Nutrition per 100g via Spoonacular.
Culinary uses & pairings
In savory cooking, fresh ginger is a backbone ingredient in Asian stir-fries, curries, and marinades. Grate or mince it fine to melt into sauces and braises, or slice it thick into stocks and soups where you’ll fish it out later. It pairs naturally with soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil, and it’s essential to dishes like Thai peanut sauce, Japanese ginger pork, and Indian dal. A tablespoon of freshly grated ginger stirred into a vinaigrette or miso dressing immediately lifts the whole bowl.
In baking and beverages, ground dried ginger is the go-to, showing up in gingerbread, spice cakes, and pumpkin pie. Fresh ginger shines in homemade ginger tea, ginger ale, shrubs, and cocktails — muddle a few slices with honey and lemon for one of the best cold remedies in the pantry. Candied (crystallized) ginger makes a great mix-in for scones and oatmeal cookies, and pickled ginger is the classic palate cleanser alongside sushi.
Pairs well with
Substitutions
Buying & storage
Look for fresh ginger with smooth, taut skin — wrinkled or soft spots signal age and dehydration. Young ginger, available at Asian markets in late summer and fall, has pale, almost translucent skin with pinkish tips and a milder, less fibrous flesh that’s wonderful sliced thin or pickled. Mature ginger (the standard supermarket variety) should feel firm and heavy; snap off a small piece and it should break cleanly with a fresh, sharp scent. For ground ginger, buy it in small quantities from a store with good turnover, since the volatile oils that give it its kick fade quickly once the jar is open.
Varieties
- Common (mature) ginger: The standard grocery store rhizome with tan, papery skin, fibrous flesh, and bold heat — the workhorse for most savory and baked applications.
- Young (baby) ginger: Harvested early with pale, pink-tipped skin and tender, barely fibrous flesh; milder and less sharp, ideal for pickling, slicing raw, or quick sautés.
- Blue Ring ginger: A Hawaiian variety noted for its intense aroma and a faint blue ring visible in cross-section; occasionally found at farmers markets and specialty grocers.
- Ground dried ginger: Dehydrated and powdered mature ginger with a warmer, less citrusy profile due in part to the conversion of gingerol to shogaol during drying; the standard form for baking spice blends.
- Candied (crystallized) ginger: Sliced or cubed ginger cooked in sugar syrup and coated in coarse sugar; a confection and baking ingredient with concentrated sweet heat.
Recipes using ginger
589 recipes across our recipe sites use ginger. A few favorites:
Cooking with ginger tonight?
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History & origin
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been cultivated and traded for at least 3,000 years, with its origins most likely in South or Southeast Asia — India and China both have very long histories of its use. It was among the earliest spices to reach Europe via ancient trade routes, prized not just as a flavoring but as a medicine and preservative. In medieval Europe it was nearly as valuable as pepper, used to flavor wine and ale. The Arab spice trade and later European colonial voyages helped spread ginger cultivation to the Caribbean and West Africa, where it took firm root and became integral to those regional cuisines as well.
How it’s made
Ginger is a rhizome — an underground stem that grows horizontally just beneath the soil surface — not a true root. It’s propagated by planting sections of the rhizome itself rather than seeds. The plant prefers warm, humid climates with rich, well-drained soil and partial shade. After planting, the above-ground stalks grow to several feet tall, but the harvest is all below ground. Young ginger is dug up at around 5 to 6 months, before the skin hardens, while mature ginger is left until 8 to 10 months when the stalks start to yellow and die back. After harvest, ginger destined for drying is sliced and dehydrated at low heat; ginger for the fresh market is washed, sometimes treated to extend shelf life, and shipped quickly to preserve the volatile oils responsible for its distinctive aroma and bite.
Good to know
- The name Zingiber traces back through Greek and Latin to the Sanskrit word shringavera, meaning ‘shaped like a deer’s antlers’ — a nod to ginger’s knobby, branching form.
- Ginger is one of the best-studied natural remedies for nausea, with clinical trials supporting its use for morning sickness and post-operative nausea.
- A single fresh ginger rhizome planted in a pot in a warm, bright spot will grow into a full ornamental plant and can supply you with fresh ginger.
- Jamaica was once among the most prized ginger exporters; today India produces roughly one-third of the global supply.
- Drying or heating ginger converts gingerol into shogaol, a compound associated with strong anti-inflammatory activity — meaning cooked and dried ginger packs a different kind of nutritional punch than fresh.
