Ginger and Ginger juice

Commonly known as “ginger root,” ginger is technically a rhizome—an underground stem. It has a light-brown skin and grows in knobby clumps. The more mature the ginger the thicker the skin and more spicy the flavor. Ginger made its way from Asia to the west via Arab traders. The skin is peeled and the flesh is sliced to use in stir-fries, drinks or sweets. Grated ginger is used as a condiment, in stir-fries or can be pressed for its juice, which is used as a flavoring in sauces or stir-fries. To make ginger juice, you must use the smallest holes on a grater that look like perforations with a rough texture or the new micro-plane graters that look like rasps. There are Japanese ginger graters designed specifically for this job. The grating separates the tough fiber from the usable flesh. It is then used as a condiment directly on food or squeezed for its juice. Gather up the grated ginger between your fingers and squeeze into a small bowl.