Food Reference Website Logo

Foodreference.com - Articles & Features Section
Articles, Essays, News & Interviews about food & beverages -  History, Culture, Science and More

. Home . . Articles & Features . . Food Trivia . . Cooking Tips . . Recipes . . Quotes . . Who's Who . . Food Timeline . . Food Videos . . Food Trivia Quizzes . . Crosswords . . Humor & Poetry . . Cookbooks . . Food Posters . . Magazines & Catalogs . . Flowers . . Key West . . Gourmet Tours . . Cooking Schools . . Festivals & Shows .

You Are Here > 

 HomeArticles & FeaturesHerbs & Spices >  Galangal >

Next

Bookmark and Share 

 

3 Young Chefs
Click on the
3 Young Chefs
for the best
Culinary Schools
Restaurant, Hospitality & Hotel Management Schools

Get a Free Trial issue!
SAVEUR
SAVEUR
The Award-Winning magazine that celebrates the people, places and rituals that establish culinary traditions

 

See Also: Trivia/Facts & Cooking Tips  

GALANGAL

 

The rhizome (root) of galangal resembles ginger in taste and appearance. It is predominantly found in Asian markets and sold fresh, frozen, dried, or powdered. Galangal is also well known in European medieval cooking. Only a pinch of dried and powdered versions are typically needed.

Galangal is frequently used in fish and shellfish recipes in combination with garlic, ginger, chilli, and lemon.

GalangalGreater Galangal:
Orange-brown skin with pale yellow or white interior. Greater galangal can be found in sliced form or powder. Used as a flavoring throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, and parts of India.
Flavor: Not as pungent as lesser galangal.

Lesser Galangal:
This rhizome has a red-brown interior and fibrous texture. It can be founded as slices or powder. Lesser galangal comes from China where it is used as a medicinal herb, but it is now grown in Indonesia and regarded as a spice.
Flavor: Aromatic and pungent, peppery and ginger-like. Stronger, more medicinal taste than greater galangal.

Kaempferia Galangal:
Often identified as greater galangal. Red skin and white interior. Used as a flavoring in South East Asia.
Flavor: Medium in strength.

Different galangal varieties vary in their hotness and flavor. Flavor ranges from flowery to ginger-like to peppery cinnamon.

In addition to being used as a spice in cooking, galangal has been used in Asia and the Middle East in perfumes, snuffs, aphrodisiacs, and as flavors for condiments (including vinegar and beer), in teas in Germany and wines in Russia. Like ginger, galangal has been used for medicinal purposes to treat nausea, flatulence, and dyspepsia.

EAT 5 TO 9 A DAYSelection and Storage
When ripe, galangal should be ivory white and firm with very little separation between skin and flesh. Never buy galangal that is wrinkled or shriveled. Store refrigerated uncut and unwrapped for up to 3 weeks or, peel the root and place it in a jar of sherry and store it refrigerated for several months. Galangal can be frozen if tightly wrapped in foil.

Preparation

Galangal can be sliced and used to flavor soups and stews (remove before serving). It can also be mixed with lemon grass, chilies, shallots and garlic into a paste that can be used to flavor rice dishes. Galangal can also be mixed into a curry paste for similar purposes.

TOP


 

•Herbs & Spices• •MSG 'Truthiness'• •Antioxidant Rich Spices• •A Hot Little Farm in New Jersey• •Allspice Field Report• •Amchur, Amchoor,  Amchor• •Anise Field Report• •Basil, Egyptian Basil• •Basil• •Basil: Saint or Sinner?• •Black Pepper Report: Indonesia• •Capers• •Cardamom• •Cardamom Report, India• •Chinese 5 Spice Powder: High 5• •Cilantro• •Cinnamon Trail• •Cinnamon 2• •Clove Field Report• •Cumin Field Report• •Fennel, Food Facts• •Fennel, Buying & Using• •Fennel: The Spice of Angels• •Fenugreek• •File (File Gumbo)• •Galangal• •Ginger• •Ginger Field Report, India• •Herbal Essentials• •Horseradish• •Mustard: Cutting the Mustard• •Nutmeg• •Oregano Field Report• •Paprika• •Parsley: The Devil's Seeds• •Pepper, Nothing to Sneeze At• •Red Pepper Field Report• •Rosemary• •Rosemary: Remember Rosemary• •Saffron• •Saffron Field Report, Spain• •Sage Field Report: Albania• •Salt of the Earth Part 1• •Salt of the Earth Part 2• •Sassafras• •Sassafras 2• •Seed Spices• •Spice Up Your Life• •Tarragon, The Dragon Herb• •Thyme, In the Nick of Thyme• •Turmeric• •Turmeric and Dill Pickles• •Unjha Seed Field Report• •Vanilla• •Vanilla Field Report, Madagascar•


. Home . . About & Contact . . Cooking Tips . . Facts & Trivia . . Website Bibliography . . Food Links .



Please feel free to link to any pages of FoodReference.com from your website.
No permission is necessary to link to our pages.

For permission to use any of the content on FoodReference.com please contact:  james@foodreference.com

All contents of this website are copyright © 1990 - 2009 James T. Ehler and FoodReference.com unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. You may copy and use portions of this website for non-commercial, personal use only. Any other use of the materials in this website without prior written permission is prohibited.
 



 

OTHER FEATURES

• Recipe Contests
• Food Festivals
• Holiday Features
• Football Food
• Today in Food History
• Food Trivia Quizzes
• Recommended CookBooks
 

Food Posters & Art

 

Unique Food Posters

 

Free Magazines