Saturday, April 7, 2012

G is for... Ginger



Ginger is one of those really fascinating words in that it has so many different meanings. Perhaps this is because ginger, the plant, has so many different uses. When you use ginger in baking, it is a sweet spice, like cinnamon or nutmeg. But in Thai or Malaysian cuisine, it's a savory flavor.

Red haired people are often called gingers, which has always confused me a little because ginger isn't red or orange. My own son is a little ginger.

When you move with caution or care, you move gingerly. Again, I'm not sure why. Is it because ginger is a spice, and you need to take care of spice?

One of my favorite cookies is the Gingernut. They're really spicy and as hard as rock. But if you dunk them in a cup of tea, they soften up nicely and are totally delicious.

What's your favorite use of ginger? The word or the spice....

3 comments:

  1. I've always liked Ginger Ale. So that gets my vote.

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  2. Ginger cookies! And my husband's a "ginger"...

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  3. Your post got me thinking, so I grabbed my word origins book. Ginger the spice is unrelated to the term gingerly.

    Ginger is related to an old word for horn whereas gingerly is related to words such as genteel, gentle and gentry; originally meaning daintily as in the way a member of the gentry is.

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