Ginger, as a commonly used condiment in folk cuisine, is not only widely used but also has a great value in food therapy. Previously, ginger was thought to be just ginger, without knowing the difference between fresh ginger and old ginger. Today, let's understand the difference between fresh ginger and old ginger.
Differences in Appearance
Fresh ginger, also known as young ginger, usually has a yellow color with a red head. Old ginger, commonly known as ginger mother or ginger lady, is harvested after the beginning of autumn. It is often used as ginger seed. Its appearance is wrinkled, rough, and not brightly colored.
Texture and Taste
Fresh ginger has thin skin and tender flesh, with a light and mild taste. It is crispy and tender to eat, with high water content and no fibers. Old ginger has thick skin and firm flesh, with a spicy taste. After breaking it apart, it has less moisture and more fibrous strands. It is difficult to chew when consumed.
Culinary Uses
Old ginger: Old ginger is generally used in dishes that require heating methods such as stewing, braising, simmering, roasting, boiling, and braising. Its main purpose is to add flavor. After cooking, the ginger is discarded. Therefore, old ginger needs to be processed into slices or chunks and pounded to crack it open so that the ginger flavor can be infused into the dish.
Fresh ginger: Fresh ginger can be used to season sweet or savory foods, such as soups, meats, seafood, noodles, fruits, cakes, and beverages. It can also be used to make jams and candies. Tender ginger can be used to make pickles.
Different Medicinal Properties
Fresh ginger: Fresh ginger has a spicy taste and a slightly warm nature. It enters the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians. It can induce sweating and release the exterior, warm the middle and stop vomiting, warm the lungs and relieve coughing, and detoxify. It is mainly used to treat diseases such as external wind-cold, stomach cold and vomiting, wind-cold cough, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and poisoning from fish and crab.
Old ginger: Old ginger is mainly used to warm the middle, dispel cold, promote circulation, and dry dampness and dissolve phlegm. It is used for diseases such as cold pain in the epigastric region, vomiting and diarrhea, and cough with phlegm.
Precautions for Ginger Consumption
1. Ginger skin and ginger flesh have different effects. Ginger skin is cooling, while ginger flesh is heating. When using ginger for medicinal purposes, it is better to remove the skin. However, when cooking, the skin can be left on.
2. Do not eat rotten ginger. Rotten ginger contains a highly toxic substance that can increase the risk of liver cancer and esophageal cancer.
3. Ginger water with brown sugar is only suitable for patients with wind-cold cold or stomach cold after being caught in the rain and having a fever. It should not be used for patients with summer cold or wind-heat cold, nor can it be used to treat heatstroke.
