The Science of Spice

Flavour Group | PUNGENT COMPOUNDS | Ginger 189

Ginger has a hot-spice, citrusy, woody taste. The dried form has a stronger, more

aromatic flavour than fresh ginger, and is commonly used in baking and in spice blends.

Fresh ginger is widely used in Asian cuisine.

Kitchen

creativity

FOOD PARTNERS

Squash and coleslaw Mix grated

fresh ginger into Asian-style coleslaws, or

fry with the onion base of a squash soup.

Mango, pears, rhubarb Pair with

mango in creamy puddings, and poach

fresh slices with pears and rhubarb.

Pork Add slices of fresh ginger

to slow-cooked pork dishes to offset

the fattiness.

Fish Use julienned ginger with

shredded leek or spring onions when

steaming fish.

Baking Try adding ground ginger to

carrot cake, lemon cake, and coconut or

dark chocolate cookies.

BLENDING SCIENCE

The terpene compound zingiberene carries the characteristic aroma of ginger, but

the taste is made more complex thanks to a cornucopia of other compounds,

including spicy-hot gingerols, as well as floral linalool and geraniol, herbal

curcumene, lemony citral, and eucalyptus-like cineole.

RELEASE THE FLAVOUR

Peel fresh ginger shortly

before use in order to retain the

complex flavour profile. Heat breaks both

gingerols and shogaols into mild

zingerone, so the longer that ginger is

cooked, the gentler its spicy-heat.

Stripping the skin bursts open

the outer layer of cells, allowing

fragrant oils to evaporate.

Cooking converts ginger’s

mouthwarming flavor compounds

into the much milder zingerone.

pair with spices

that overlap the

floral qualities:

cinnamon

shares linalool

and brings sweet,

warming qualities

nutmeg shares

geraniol and cineole

for warm spicy notes

cacao adds strong

bittersweet and

roasted flavours

combine with other

pungent spices for

added depth:

chilli adds varying

degrees of heat from

capsaicinoids

black pepper

brings a woody

warmth from piperine,

and some citrus

enhance zesty

flavour with other

citrusy spices:

lemongrass

shares citral and adds

mild pepperiness

lemon myrtle

brings intense lemon,

sharing citral and

lingering eucalyptus

coriander

harmonizes with

lemony notes

draw out

penetrating

freshness with

cineole-rich spices:

bay adds a

lingering, clove-like

background

cardamom

provides sweet and

herby hints of mint

GINGEROLS

hot | pungent |

spicy

LINALOOL AND

GERANIOL

floral | sweet |

herbal

CITRAL

citrus | herbal |

some eucalyptus

CINEOLE

eucalyptus |

mildly medicinal |

penetrating

BLENDS TO TRY

Use and adapt these classic

blends featuring ginger.

Advieh p27

Yaji p36

Leche de tigre p69

Fresh Gingerol

Powder Shogaol

Dry heat

When fresh ginger is dried, its heat

pungency increases and a fifth of

the flavour molecules evaporate.

The drying process converts

gingerol to shogaol, which has twice

the heat. The dry spice also has fewer

citrus notes.

GINGER

Gi

OCH 3

OCH 3

HO

HO

OOH

O

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