Ginger has been used in ancient India both for culinary and medicinal purposes. For the household cooking, it is the fresh rhizome that is commonly used. For medicinal uses, however, the common form used is the dry ginger. In ayurvedicsystem the mixture of three spices, viz black pepper, long pepper and ginger forms the famous Trikatu. Ginger is also popular in the cooking of Western and other cultures and finds reference in ancient literature as well as in the records of Marco Polo and Vasco da Gamma.

Ginger is a rhizome of the ginger plant.  It is cultivated throughout the world for local culinary needs. But the countries which have excess, process it in dried form and export. The major producers of dry ginger are India, China, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Jamaica etc. In the world trade Jamaican ginger is rated high (but the production is very limited), with India’s Cochin ginger coming closely. Nigerian is also now regarded nearly as good, but with slightly different note. China produces lot of ginger, but the dry ginger is generally regarded as inferior in flavour. Australia grows ginger with lemony flavour. The harvesting is done a little early there and fresh ginger is preserved in either brine or syrup.

Ginger oil can be made by steam distillation. The typical aroma cannot be attributed to any single compound. It is a combined effect. Dry ginger yields 1 to 2% oil and 5 to 6% oleoresin when extracted with organic solvent. The hotness of ginger is caused by gingerols which consists of true gingerols, shogaols, zingerone and paradols. The latter compounds are mainly formed from true gingerols during processing and heat treatment.

Ginger is used in culinary practices. Among the processed food, it specially finds use in soft drinks and baked products, besides use in meat, sea food and vegetable curries.