Fresh ginger is a rhizome, botanically speaking. Rhizomes are the stems of a plant; they grow horizontally underground and the plants' roots and shoots grow from their nodes. Rhizomes, including ginger, galangal, and turmeric, are known for their pungent, spicy flavor, and are used frequently in Asian cuisine.
When buying fresh ginger, look for pieces with smooth, hard skin. If you are going to use it within a few days, you can keep it at room temperature. Otherwise store it in the refrigerator.1
Keeping ginger on hand all the time doesn't mean you have to buy bottled ginger, even if you do not use it often. Instead, freeze fresh ginger whole and grate what you need while it's still frozen.
Ginger is cultivated in tropical climates worldwide and is available in most supermarkets year round.
Nutrition DNA
The nutrition DNA of ginger. For example, you can see that 50g ginger covers 6% of your daily need of Potassium and 6% of the recommended Manganese intake. Hover over the bars to see which nutrient is covered.