Some interesting facts about ginger:
- Choose ginger that is firm, smooth and free of mold.
- Store fresh ginger unpeeled either wrapped in a damp cloth or towel in the refrigerator, where it will keep for at least three weeks. Placed in a plastic bag, it will keep in the freezer for half a year.
- Queen Elizabeth I of England is credited with the invention of the gingerbread man, which became a popular Christmas treat.
- Ginger is not a root but a rhizome. A rhizome is defined as an underground plant stem which is able to produce roots and shoot systems of a new plant.
- Ginger is mentioned in ancient Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern writings and has long been prized for its aromatic, culinary and medicinal properties.
- In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries a pound of ginger was equivalent to the cost of a sheep.
- Ginger has many health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties, blood sugar regulation and gastrointestinal relief.
- The flower of the ginger plant is beautiful.
