Ginger

Imported from all over the world including Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Egypt, Fiji, Iran, Hawaii and Taiwan and widely available. Fresh root ginger is a knobbly, beige-skinned root. Buy as plump and smooth as you can. Avoid wrinkled, hard and dry specimens. Staple lemony/hot flavouring in Chinese, Japanese, Indian and South-East Asian cooking. Peel then grate. Usually fried briefly, often with garlic and chilli peppers, to set the initial flavouring of a dish.

Dry powdered ginger is not comparable in any way. Crystallised and preserved in syrup, ginger becomes a tangy sweetmeat, also used to flavour puddings. Japanese pickled ginger is a distinctive treat in its own right, an essential condiment with raw fish.