Nevermore without ginger: among herbal teas and biscuits, fruit salads and salads, yogurt and jams, now this exotic root has entered many common products in the shopping cart of the Italians. And so the ginger has earned the title of food-ingredient with the highest sales growth rate: according to the Osservatorio Immagino GS1 Nielsen, during 2018 saw the sales grow beyond 73%, after + 108% of 2017. A true boom, therefore, which literally caused the demand for ginger to explode to the point that today it is also cultivated in Sicily. All right, then? In short: to take advantage of the many (often however only demonstrated in the laboratory and with very high doses) the benefits of ginger must pay attention to what you buy and consume it in the right ways and doses. Let's try to understand more.

The "yellow" that conquers
More commonly known as ginger, lo ginger it is a perennial herbaceous plant native to India and Malaysia whose rhizome is consumed, rich in antioxidants, essential oils, resins and mucilage. Most of its beneficial properties are to be attributed to gingerol, responsible for the typical pungent and spicy taste. Moreover, the trend is noticeable and by now it is not even the most recent: the return to the roots It is cool. From the ginger turmeric in the kitchen the roots have been rehabilitated by ethnic fashion, reinvented by the great chefs, now cleared by everyone. Plus they are good and they do very well. And among the most cited and popular roots is ginger. For many reasons.

Watch out for spending
"Ginger and other roots that come from the other side of the world and that to get to our stores do long journeys must be subjected to post-harvest treatments with substances that preserve them for longer freshness. Furthermore, after the harvest, the decay of nutrients begins. Therefore it is always better to consume fresh roots, coming from the field to the store in the shortest possible time, "explains Professor Andrea Fabbri, professor at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Parma. Ginger fresh it is sold whole, with rind, or already decorticated. The first is preferable to the second because it lasts longer. Wrapped in kitchen paper, it can be kept in the fridge for up to three weeks. Every time you use it you have the foresight to eliminate the first layer, the one exposed to the air. In the market there is also the root dried, in powder: it costs less, yes preserve longer but has a decidedly lighter taste.

Its beneficial virtues and uses in the kitchen
Against the nausea and the ache throat. Its effective action against the has been known for years car sickness: just chew a piece of root during the journey to get relief immediately. In case of nausea gravidica or caused by chemotherapy it can be useful to prepare an infusion with the chopped root and to sip the beverage when attacks are felt.

Thanks to her antiseptic action ginger is a precious ally to combat seasonal ailments: chewing a piece is an excellent remedy to alleviate in a short time the sore throat, to calm the cough and dissolve the phlegm.

Anti-inflammatory is analgesic. A research conducted by the University of Copenhagen has scientifically demonstrated the high anti-inflammatory action of ginger, which has proved even more powerful than the most common drugs such asibuprofen and betamethasone (cortisone) in treating inflammatory states. From the study, conducted on patients suffering from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, it emerged that ibuprofen has no effect on the production of cytokines, the molecules that can have inflammatory effects on the body and therefore cause ache. In contrast, ginger extract and betamethasone have been shown to be equally effective in reducing cytokines. But, given the same anti-inflammatory effects, the intake of ginger has the advantage of not having the unpleasant side effects caused instead by cortisone, such as swelling, arrhythmia, sleep disorders and muscle weakness.

Ginger is good for you and is a valid aid against disorders ofdigestive system: its active ingredients are effective in the case of Helicobacer Pylori, the bacterium responsible for stomach ulcers. Sipping an herbal tea after meals stimulates digestion and helps eliminate intestinal gases.

antitumor: a study conducted by the University of Michigan also demonstrated its anticancer properties, both in suppressing the aggressive cells of the ovarian cancer both to inhibit cancer growth prostate. The research conducted by the University of Minnesota has instead revealed that consuming ginger every day would have a proven protective action against tumors of the colorectal colon.

Against rheumatoid arthritis (and even against the flu): In addition, ginger is also mentioned about rheumatoid arthritis in a study by KIIT University, India, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, that offers some nutritional advice on the consumption of 'superfoods' that can offer benefits on the symptoms and progression of rheumatoid arthritis. In the long list there is also ginger, definitely in good company, together with blueberries, prunes, pomegranate, grapefruit, mango, peaches, bananas, apples and grapes. And then yogurt, turmeric and cereals, olive oil and green tea. The advantages of ginger and his friends go in this case from the lowering of the levels of cytokines, which are produced in inflammatory states to the reduction of oxidative stress up to benefits for joint stiffness and pain. While the first prevention strategies already circulate in the odor of winter flu, as far as nutrition is concerned, they again call into question the magical ginger, possibly combined with a nice garlic tea.

How to use it
To enjoy the beneficial effects of ginger you should take one quantity between 10 and 20 g of fresh rhizome or 3/4 g of dried root or powder per day, without exceeding in doses is aggiunGerlo to half cooking because it expresses to the better your virtues. Avoiding it if you have problems like irritable bowel or diabetes, high blood pressure and gastritis, and during pregnancy. Also to be avoided if an anticoagulant therapy is followed.

Nutritional values ​​per 100 g:
18 g of carbohydrates
415 g of potassium
5 mg of C vitamin
2 g of fibers
0.8 fat
80 calories

In the kitchen
Thanks to its pleasant taste spicy, Strong and aromatic, pleasant and refreshing that rises to the temples. In the kitchen it is a versatile ingredient, suitable for both preparations desserts both to the savory ones. It can be used in slices or grated, to flavor soups, fish and vegetables. In powder, on the other hand, it is ideal for enriching desserts and pancakes. Preserved in the root and grated at the moment on the dishes it is more durable and has greater intensity; the dust, in fact, loses its pungent accent in a flash. In kitchens
Eastern it's a lot valued, chopped finely is added at the last moment on so dishes comis from we it is used Parmesan cheese. garlic Together is the main ingredient in the kitchen cineself is Indonesian, combined with chili pepper for flavor the meat before putting them on the grill or roast them. In kitchen Japanese, you use it in salse Special that accompany the Jushi is in fried. In India marries with the fish, to whom gives ato Note spicy but gentle and yes reveals often in chutney is in preserves. Very typical of Inditoof the poor is the soup of dahl (lentils) with lo ginger. In Maghreb come in in tajine, profuma broths is fish marinades. For the preparation of infusions and herbal teas you can use 1 g of rhizome dry (or 10 g of the fresh one) placed in a cup of boiling water. A bit of fresh root or dry you can chew if necessary in case of intestinal pain, nausea or stomach cramps. If you want to have it always fresh, try to grow it in jar: plant the rhizome under the earth a few centimeters and water often, but with a little water (you can also spray it with water to recreate the humidity typical of countries of origin). In winter beware of low temperatures that can damage the plant.

Ginger dried: its root is whole, dark or pre-cooked, peeled and bleached, hard and fibrous.
To prepare a powder, you can grind it and pass it through a sieve to remove the fibrous matter, or grate it, like nutmeg.

Ginger fresh or green: it has a fresh taste similar to lemon and sweeter than the powder one, the best varieties are firm and firm, with a very smooth skin (sign of freshness), it can be kept in the fridge.

Ginger in powder: beige in color, it is obtained from the dried root, easily available, better preserved under vacuum because its aroma is volatile and not very persistent.

Ginger in preserve: it is obtained from young and tender roots, preserved in a yellow-brown or red syrup, and has a very concentrated taste.

Ginger crystallized or candied: obtained from young roots immersed in a sugar syrup, dried and crystallized, used as a dessert.

Silvia Tatozzi
article of 3 March 2015,
updated by Emanuela Di Pasqua
on November 29th 2017
updated by Manuela Soressi
May 2019