Zedoary

Known in India as mango ginger and as white turmeric in other parts of Asia, zedoary is a rhizome from the turmeric family. It has the appearance of ginger and a strong, musky, ginger-like and slightly bitter flavour similar to green mango, and is used in Thai, Indian and Indonesian cooking. Fresh zedoary can be pounded or ground with other aromatics such as ginger, turmeric and garlic to make spice pastes; it is also shredded, chopped or minced and added to Asian salads, and is common in pickles and condiments. Dried zedoary is often sold under its Indonesian name, ‘kentjur’, and is usually added to broths or sauces for flavouring and then discarded. Zedoary is highly regarded as a blood purifier and a healing agent for the skin. Available: Asian food stores (fresh zedoary is rare, and may be sold as ‘white turmeric’ or sometimes ‘mango ginger’).