Stem Ginger

APPEARANCE: It has the shape of ginger but the clear, moist skin of a new potato. Whole pieces are irregularly branched, with branches about ½ inch in diameter and encircled at Linch intervals by beige or pinkish lines. These lines recall where leaves were once attached — as they still are on the bright pink growing tips.

QUALITY: The older the “hands”, as they are called, the more fibrous; hence, select pieces with many young pink buds and smooth, clear yellowish skin.

COMMENTS: Stem ginger is the newest growth of the ginger rhizome (a rhizome being an underground stem). Old, mellowed ginger with its dry, brown skin is used as a seasoning (q.v.), but these young upstarts are eaten fresh as a vegetable or are pickled. They have a fresh, fragrant flavor that is more sweet than spicy, and a tender but crisp texture.