Zingiber officinale – The little root with a long saga. The history of ginger spans a good 5000 year. The long and consistent history of ginger can be traced around the world in almost every country and culture; used in just about everything from food, healing and witchcraft – there is an old superstition that throwing a ginger root into the sea can calm a thunderstorm.  

What is ginger?

Ginger is a rhizome of a flowering plant with the same name and is a member of the same plant family as for example cardamon and turmeric. It has a spicy aroma due to the presence of ketones and has been used as a spice and in medicine since the break of dawn. Ginger has many uses for various reasons along with various forms. When it is young it is juicy and fleshy it’s referred to as fresh ginger and many recipes today call for it as an ingredient. When it is left to mature it dries and can then be made into a powder which in turn can be used as a spice, it is in this form we use it for example in gingerbread cookies and ginger ale.

When was ginger first discovered?

Originating in Southeast Asia, domesticated by the Austronesian people, it can be traced as one of the earliest spices exported to Europe during the spice trade, valued for medical and culinary purposes in China, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle East, and Mediterranean. Amongst the Romans, it was an expensive spice, so was regarded as a symbol of wealth. Which is part of what makes the history of ginger so very interesting.  As traditional healing and herbalism have gone on highs and lows over the centuries, ginger had maintained a respected position in the minds and pantries of people across the globe.   The East and the Mediterranean are closed in a bottle of salad dressing. Ginger and extra virgin olive oil create the Midas’ Gardens Salad Dressing. Ideal for salads but also for meat & seafood.