What is ginger?
A: Ginger is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is
widely used as a spice and a folk medicine.
Ginger is in the family Zingiberaceae, which also
includes what?
A: Turmeric (Curcuma longa), cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), and galangal.
Ginger originated in Maritime Southeast Asia and was
likely domesticated first by whom?
A: The Austronesian peoples.
It was transported with them throughout the
Indo-Pacific during what?
A: The Austronesian expansion (c. 5,000 BP), reaching as far as
Hawaii.
Ginger is one of the first spices to have been exported
from where?
A: Asia, arriving in Europe with the spice trade, and was used by ancient
Greeks and Romans.
The distantly related dicots in the genus Asarum are
commonly called wild ginger because of their what?
A: Similar taste.
Although used in traditional medicine and as a dietary
supplement, there is no good evidence that consuming ginger, or its extracts
has any effect on what?
A: Human health or as a treatment for diseases.
In 2019, what was the world production of ginger?
A: It was 4.1 million tons, led by India with 44% of the world total.
It is a true cultigen and does not exist in its what?
A: Wild state.
The most ancient evidence of its domestication is among
the Austronesian peoples where it was among what?
A: Several species of ginger cultivated and exploited since ancient times.
They cultivated other gingers including what?
A: Turmeric (Curcuma longa), white turmeric (Curcuma zedoaria), and bitter
ginger (Zingiber zerumbet).
The rhizomes and the leaves were used to what?
A: Flavor food or eaten directly.
The leaves were also used for what?
A: To weave mats.
Aside from these uses, ginger had religious
significance among Austronesians, being used in rituals for what?
A: Healing and for asking protection from spirits.
It was also used in the blessing of what?
A: Austronesian ships.
Ginger was carried with them in their voyages as what?
A: Canoe plants during the Austronesian expansion, starting from around
5,000 BP.
They introduced it to the Pacific Islands in
prehistory, long before any contact with what?
A: Other civilizations.
The first written record of ginger comes from where?
A: The Analects of Confucius, written in China during the Warring States
period (475–221 BC).
In it, Confucius was said to do what?
A: Eat ginger with every meal
In 406 AD, the monk Faxian wrote what?
A: That ginger was grown in pots and carried on Chinese ships to prevent
scurvy.
Ginger was introduced to the
Mediterranean by whom?
A: The Arabs and described by writers like Dioscorides (40–90 AD) and Pliny
the Elder (24–79 AD).
In 150 AD, Ptolemy noted that ginger was produced
where?
A: In Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
In 14th century England, a pound of ginger cost as much
as a what?
A: A sheep.
Ginger produces clusters of white and pink flower buds
that bloom into what?
A: Yellow flowers.
Because of its aesthetic appeal and the adaptation of
the plant to warm climates, it is often used as what?
A: Landscaping around subtropical homes.
Ginger can be used for a variety of food items such as
what?
A: Vegetables, candy, soda, pickles, and alcoholic beverages.