The Uses and Health Benefits of Ginger
It’s easy to see why ginger is such a loved ingredient – it packs a proper flavour punch, it boosts the taste of a wide range of dishes, and it’s jam-packed full of nutrients.
Throughout the world, we use ginger as a staple ingredient. Ginger is a go-to for countless households worldwide, whether it’s for cooking curries, making spiced drinks, baking cakes, or in a hearty marinade.
So, we’ve dedicated this blog post to our favourite spice. Below, you’ll find our favourite facts about the spice. We’ve also shared some inspiration for using ginger at home, the health benefits of ginger, and more information about the premium ginger that we supply at Exotifruit.
Fun facts about ginger
Ginger is a root, which comes from a flowering plant. The root can then be used fresh as a spice or dried into an easy-to-use powder form.
The plant originally comes from South Asia, where records show that it first grew in the region’s tropical rainforests.
Today, the plant is grown across many of the world’s tropical regions, including in India, the West Indies and China, and areas of the U.S.
It’s one of the world’s most renowned spices, and it has been immensely popular as a cooking ingredient for centuries. It has also been a commonly used medicinal herb for thousands of years.
In fact, Chinese and Ayurvedic specialists in herbal medicine have used ginger for over 3,000 years. The spice was favoured for its anti-inflammatory capabilities and its ability to enhance the effects of other medicines and herbs that the patient took.
Using ginger in cooking
When it comes to home cooking, ginger is an absolute gold mine.
There are a wide variety of ways in which ginger can feature in your cooking. These include food, drink, sweet, savoury, meals, cakes, and everything in between.
To give you a bit of inspiration, these are five of our favourite examples of recipes that showcase ginger’s distinctive flavour.
Classic Indian curry
Indian curries are full of wonderful, aromatic flavours. They wouldn’t be the same without a good hit of ginger. Whether they feature fish, meat or vegetables, ginger is always a crucial part of the spice blend.
Soy and ginger salmon
This deceptively simple dish is the perfect quick and tasty dinner. By baking salmon with soy, ginger and chilli, all wrapped in a tin foil parcel, you can infuse the fish with all these delicious flavours.
Spiced ginger cake
This British classic is a dessert that has stood the test of time. Far from a standard sponge, ginger cakes are filled with rich spices and a decadent caramel flavour. Perfect with custard.
Lemon and ginger herbal tea
By infusing boiled water with lemon and fresh ginger, you can create a healthy and delicious cup of tea. These two ingredients are filled with health benefits and taste wonderful together.
Ginger latte
Spiced coffees have been a massive hit in recent years, especially during Autumn. The combination of ginger with milky coffee results in a cosy, warming drink, which tastes like a dessert in a mug.
The health benefits of ginger
Not only does ginger taste wonderful, but it is also filled with remarkable health benefits.
Adding ginger to your cooking is a great and natural way to boost your health. To give you a glimpse into these all-body benefits, the health benefits of ginger include:
– Help digestion
– Act as an anti-inflammatory
– Ease chronic indigestion
– Help the body to combat flu and colds
– Cut down cholesterol
– Act as an aid to weight loss
– Help to treat osteoarthritis
– Act as an antioxidant
– Improve the function of the brain
– Help to protect the brain against the development of Alzheimer’s
– Help to lower blood sugar
– Reduce pregnancy-induced nausea, such as morning sickness
– Reduce the pain caused by the menstrual cycle
– Limit the risk of heart disease
– Help to fight cancer
As you can see, ginger offers a vast range of health perks. You can find out more about the health benefits of consuming ginger on the Healthline website.
Procuring ginger for your business
At Exotifruit, we source top quality ginger from our partner Red Dragon. They supply us with the very finest ginger, at the peak of freshness, throughout the year. Their Chinese ginger is of unparalleled taste and quality.
If you’d like to find out more about our products or secure our services for your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
