Ginger
Ginger is from the tuber, root or rhizome of the reed-like plant of the zingiber officinale family. The roots are where we get ginger for cooking, beverages and flavoring for all sorts of candy and desserts. Ginger is also used for medicinal purposes. Close relatives of ginger are cardamom and turmeric.
Ginger originated from several tropical areas such as China, India and southern Asia. It also flourishes in the Caribbean Islands like Jamaica and the West Indies. India is the largest producer of ginger. Ginger is highly prized in the Orient. Indian and Oriental curries invariably use ginger in their dishes as an ingredient in curries and curry powder.
Ginger roots are dug up and harvested and traditionally placed in baskets.The baskets are then shaken to remove dirt and debris, then laid out to sun dry for over a week. They are then ready to be exported to other countries.
The oils and resins from ginger root is where the aroma and flavor is comes from. Ginger is used to flavor many well known beverages and desserts such as ginger ale and ginger cookies and gingerbread. You can use ginger to make ginger candy. You can use ginger to flavor teas. You can also "pickle" ginger roots in sherry and eat it just like it is as a snack. I have never tried that but it does sound interesting.
Ginger can also be used in meat and rice dishes especially in China and in stew-like dishes as in the Korean kimche. It can be used in chicken dishes or with seafood dishes or in salads.
Ginger also has some medicinal qualities, if you're not allergic to it. It is said to help nausea and other gastrointestinal ailments. There are some ongoing medical tests being done on ginger today that are promising some pretty beneficial attributes that may provide medicines for the future.