New Scientist - USA (2022-04-16)

52 | New Scientist | 16 April 2022

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These articles are

posted each week at

newscientist.com/maker

What you need

Per serving:

30 grams ginger

200 millilitres milk

2 teaspoons sugar

WITH its citrusy aroma and mild

heat, ginger is a phenomenally

versatile ingredient used in both

sweet and savoury foods. This

month, I have learned how to use

an unexpected property of ginger

to create a delicious dessert.

Ginger’s prickly flavour comes

from a compound called gingerol,

which has a similar structure to

capsaicin, the molecule that gives

heat to chilli peppers. It binds to

the same receptor protein, TRPV1,

in nerve endings that stimulates

the sensation of heat and pain,

albeit more mildly.

Preparing ginger in different

ways can increase or decrease

its potency by transforming

gingerol into other molecules.

When cooked, gingerol becomes

zingerone, a molecule that

activates TRPV1 more weakly

and has a sweeter aroma. Drying

ginger changes gingerol to

shogaol – which is more akin to

capsaicin – and stimulates pain

receptors about twice as strongly.

Ginger has been widely used

as a traditional medicine since

ancient times. Several clinical

trials have found that it is effective

at preventing nausea and

vomiting, and gingerol is thought

to be the active ingredient.

Research also suggests that

gingerol could play a role in

cancer prevention and treatment.

Ginger is delicious at any time

of year, but in the spring, it is

worth seeking out young ginger,

which has pale, thin skin and

pink shoots. It is more tender

and juicy than mature ginger

and has a milder flavour. It is ideal

The subtle chemical complexity of ginger makes it an astonishingly

versatile, and health-boosting, ingredient, says Sam Wong

The science of cooking

Get into ginger

for making gari, a traditional

accompaniment to sushi,

consisting of thin slices of ginger

pickled in rice vinegar with sugar.

Some varieties of ginger turn pink

in the acid, thanks to pH-sensitive

anthocyanin pigments.

Apart from its pungent and

aromatic flavour compounds,

ginger also contains zingibain,

an enzyme that digests proteins.

Be aware of this if you want to

use ginger to marinate meat: if it

spends more than a few minutes

in contact with raw ginger, meat

can turn mushy. To prevent

this, heat the marinade first to

deactivate the enzyme or add acid,

such as lime juice, to inhibit it.

Zingibain can be put to use as a

substitute for rennet, the enzyme

extract used to curdle milk in

cheese-making. Milk proteins

called caseins are encased in

particles called micelles with

a hairy surface made of kappa

casein. Just like chymosin in

rennet, zingibain snips off the

hairs, enabling micelles to stick

together, coagulating the milk.

You can see this for yourself

by making ginger milk curd,

a Chinese dessert (this recipe is

based on one from the Red House

Spice blog). Peel and finely grate

the ginger, then press it in a sieve

to squeeze about a tablespoon

of juice into a bowl. Heat the milk

with the sugar to 70°C, then add to

the ginger juice. Leave it for at least

10 minutes to set into a solid curd,

The science of cooking then serve it warm or cold. ❚

appears every four weeks

Next week

Stargazing at home

Sam Wong is assistant news

editor and self-appointed

chief gourmand at

New Scientist. Follow him

@samwong1

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