Medicinally, ginger has been found to block motion sickness, help aid in indigestion, and has been reported to lower blood cholesterol. The flavor of ginger is peppery and slightly sweet, while the aroma is pungent and spicy. Ginger is a member of the heliconia family that also includes bananas, bamboo, and lilies. It starts life as a small piece cut from the previous year's harvest, planted in rows below the surface of the ground in September, and is harvested by hand starting in February. Ginger is available in many forms such as fresh gingerroot, crystallized or candied ginger, preserved ginger, pickled ginger, or dried ginger.
Fresh ginger adds a great flavor to meats, curries, stews, vegetables, soups and fish.
When choosing fresh gingerroot, find a piece that's firm and heavy, avoiding shriveled stems. Then, find a Japanese specialty shop in your area and buy a fine grater especially for gingerroot called an oroshigane. Although this gadget could be a neat novelty item for your kitchen, and impressive to whip out in front of guests, the trouble it takes to track down an oroshigane the day of your soiree, might not be worth it. In that case, your standard kitchen grater will do. Just get a sharp knife and peel away the rough outer skin only as far as the flesh to be grated, and get to it.