China and India are the largest producers of ginger, but the best ginger is grown on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. The edible portion of the ginger plant is the root, which may be used fresh, dried, ground, pickled, or crystallized. Ginger is best known as a spice used in cooking, especially for Asian dishes, and for gingerbread. It has also been used as a medicinal herb since the 17th century to settle the stomach and warm the body. Ginger has a warm, woody aroma and a flavor with a slight bite, and a sweet, rich aftertaste.
Peach trees grow in temperate climates and their fruit is small, delicately sweet and velvety.
Wild peach trees still grow in China, their original home, and for Chinese poets and artists, the peach is a symbol of immortality. Many centuries ago cultivation spread westward from China to Kashmir and Persia. From Persia it spread to Greece, Rome and then to Spain. The Spaniards first brought the peach to America in the 16th century. During the 20th century, American growers, especially in California, have done the most to shape the world production of the peach.