The Science of Spice

138 Spice Profiles

Region of cultivation

Galangal is native to Java, in Indonesia, but is

now cultivated throughout Southeast Asia,

India, Bangladesh, China, and Suriname.

The plant

Galangal is a tropical

herbaceous perennial

in the ginger family,

growing to 2.5m (8ft)

tall in large clumps.

Dried

Galangal can be

dried and either

sliced or ground

into a powder.

Fresh

The flesh is

tougher and more

fibrous than that of

ginger. Peel it, and

then grate, slice, or

pound to a paste.

Flowers and

buds are edible

Leaves are

long and

blade-shaped

Dried slices are

best softened

in water before use

BOTANICAL NAME

Alpinia galanga

ALSO KNOWN AS

Greater galangal, Laos root,

Thai ginger, Siamese ginger.

MAJOR FLAVOUR COMPOUND

Cineole.

PARTS USED

Rhizomes (underground stems).

METHOD OF CULTIVATION

Grown as an annual crop, rhizomes

develop clumps of green stalks and are

harvested 3–4 months after planting.

COMMERCIAL PREPARATION

Rhizomes are washed, then cut up and

scraped to be sold fresh, dried, or ground.

NON-CULINARY USES

Essential oil in perfumery; in traditional

Ayurvedic medicine to boost appetite

and treat heart and lung diseases.

CHINA

INDIA

BANGLADESH

ISLAND OF JAVA

INDONESIA

SOUTHEAST

ASIA

GALANGAL

Warming | Pungent | Peppery

The Greek philosopher Plutarch

noted that the ancient Egyptians

burnt galangal as a fumigant, to

perfume and disinfect the air. It was

also used as a medicine by ancient

civilizations from the Mediterranean to

China. Greek and Roman physicians

included the spice, brought from Asia

on early trade routes, in their

expensive concoctions for wealthy

patients. In the Middle Ages, the

German herbalist Hildegard of Bingen

(1098–1179) described galangal as “the

spice of life”, but evidence suggests it

was a different variety, known today as

lesser galangal, that became popular in

European cooking. It appears in a

sauce recipe in The Forme of Cury, a

14th-century English cookery book,

and in many other medieval and Tudor

recipes. Today it is an important spice

in Southeast Asian cuisine.

Spice story

Rhizomes look

yellow-orange

after scraping

Rhizomes

resemble

those of

ginger, but

are darker

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