in the wake of the popularity of Oriental dishes. Together with Japanese and Chinese delicacies, national seasonings became available to domestic gourmets. Today, interest in juicy, with a sharp taste and a fresh aroma of rhizomes is heated not only by culinary specialists, but also by lovers of exotic cultures. Ginger plants can be found on window sills and even in country greenhouses. If you try a fresh root, a person unfamiliar with him before the person will be amazed by the sharp taste, juiciness and refreshing tonic ability of the product. In ancient times, the rhizomes of plants were valued as a remedy for fever and various infections. Ginger-based products were considered to be an elixir for male and female infertility, used to treat intestinal ailments and pains in the joints. Modern root studies have fully confirmed the guesses of ancient scholars.
But what are their bioactive substances stored in pickled product? What are the benefits and harms of pickled ginger? How to cook this original seasoning at home?
Composition and calorie content of pickled ginger
For the preparation of pickled ginger choose the most juicy healthy roots without coarse skin and often located eyes, signs of damage by pests or rot. In high-quality rhizomes there is a lot of moisture, fiber, sugars and essential oils, which give the ready seasoning its recognizable aroma, as well as determining the beneficial properties of pickled ginger and contraindications to its use.
In addition, ginger in both fresh and pickled form can be called a real pantry of vitamin and trace elements. By the number of bioactive substances, the root competes on a par with fresh garlic and ginseng. Ascorbic acid, A, B1, B2, some other amino acids, as well as such micro- and macronutrients as iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium, phosphorus, and zinc occupy leading positions among vitamins.
Natural bitterness in the composition of pickled ginger provides its sharp taste and predetermines an active action on the human body.
If you compare fresh and pickled root, the taste of the latter is softer, because some of the essential oils and bitterness are lost, but instead of them, the sweet and sour flavor of rice wine, sugar and vinegar is added to the bouquet.
Like many vegetable products, pickled ginger calorie content is extremely small and does not exceed 51 kcal per 100 grams of product. However, it should be remembered that this figure depends on the selected cooking recipe. If butter or sugar is used in the marinade, the number of calories increases.
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The traditional use of pickled ginger: the benefits and harm
You can rightly call pickled ginger not only an appetizer or seasoning, but also an effective food additive. That is how it is treated in Japan, where the marinade is served with seafood dishes. Knowing the features of the local cuisine, which in abundance offers food to consumers, which has undergone minimal heat treatment, it can be argued that ginger has a role: digestive stimulator
- ;
- means that helps the body to quickly deal with the load and remove, if necessary, toxic substances.
An example is the use of pickled ginger from sushi. Seafood without additional heat treatment is extremely quickly contaminated by bacteria and can cause serious poisoning.
Pickled ginger is useful in that it has a pronounced bactericidal effect and does not allow the pathogenic microflora to harm the body. In addition, it stimulates the digestion of food and gently normalizes metabolism.
However, it must be remembered that it is sometimes difficult to separate the benefits of pickled ginger from the harm that should be expected when seasoning is abused. And here it is worth learning from the same Japanese, who always put on a table very modest portions of spicy fragrant snacks.
Varieties of pickled ginger
Far from everyone knows about one other purpose or property of pickled ginger. The root is able to freshen breath and sharpen the sensitivity of taste buds. It is served between dishes so that a person can fully enjoy the true taste of a particular dish. Interestingly, prudent Japanese took into account this feature and have long used two types of snacks in national cuisine:
- Beni-shog, snacks offered to meat, fish dishes, traditional noodles and soups, spicy, even burning taste. Such ginger not only makes the food more piquant, but also activates the digestive processes.
- At gari, ginger root, pickled in the form of thin, almost transparent slices, the appointment is different. It is served to sushi just for refreshing the mouth and preparing for eating the next dish.
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Useful properties of pickled ginger and contraindications
The answer to the question: “Is pickled ginger useful?” Is unequivocal. Yes, such an appetizer will bring not only pleasure to lovers of spicy dishes, but also have a beneficial effect on the body.
In the first place, ginger root has a numb mass of benefits for digestion. It stimulates the digestion of incoming food, disinfects, facilitates the discharge of gases and reduces their quantity. But this is not its only valuable property.
In moderation, pickled ginger can be an effective preventive measure for atherosclerosis.
The active substances in its composition resist sedimentation and the accumulation of cholesterol, affect blood quality and even strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
Marinated ginger is used in situations where a person:
- is systematically experiencing extreme mental and physical stress;
- recovers from serious illness;
- is in a depressed or depressed state;
- suffers from frequent spasmodic or joint pain.
Fresh and pickled root will increase the tone, strengthen the immune system and cope with the bacterial flora of the oral mucosa.
The use of pickled ginger for weight loss is gaining in popularity today. Weight reduction as a result of the use of small portions of the product due to its positive effect on metabolic processes. Root:
- has the ability to stimulate the conversion of food into heat;
- prevents the deposition of fat;
- accelerates the elimination of toxins and slags from the body;
- reduces gas formation;
- gives strength to active life.
How to use pickled ginger with benefit and without harm? Like other products that contain many active substances, ginger requires a careful and attentive attitude. Abuse of the product threatens to exacerbate chronic diseases, such as gastritis, peptic ulcer disease or diabetes. With caution you need to include in the menu a sharp snack for pregnant women, especially in the second half of the term. If you are allergic to fresh ginger, then pickled root will have to be abandoned.
How to pickle ginger at home
Today trade offers fresh, pickled, dried ginger. On the shelves there is always a sufficient range of these products. But if you wish, you can prepare your own snacks based on ginger. Moreover, it is not difficult to do this, especially since there are several recipes for home-pickled ginger.
Read also: How to eat juicy ginger root for food and treatment
For canning it is better to choose young roots, in which:
- light smooth surface;
- thin, easily removable skin;
- juicy pulp without coarse fibers and dried up areas.
Before pickling ginger, rhizomes are cleaned, cutting off the peel with a thin layer, removing dry and damaged fragments.
There are many recipes for making ginger. They all differ in the composition of the marinade. In the simplest case, the marinade is made from a mixture of rice vinegar, salt and sugar.
Such pickled ginger is ready in a few hours and can please guests who came to a home party or hit family members who gathered for a regular dinner.
Peeled and sliced on thin plates, the root is laid out on clean small jars and filled with hot marinade. For its preparation take a quarter cup of vinegar, two spoons of salt and three spoons of sugar. When the liquid boils, it is removed from the heat, filtered and poured into prepared containers with ginger.
There is another recipe, how to pickle ginger at home. To prepare snacks, they prepare some sake, rice wine and sugar in advance.
- Root is peeled, cut into small pieces and blanched in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then let the water drain.
- While ginger roots are dried on a napkin, prepare marinade. To do this, mix rice wine and vodka in equal proportions and heat it. To the hot liquid, add sugar to taste. When the marinade boils, it's ready.
- I cut the dried ginger root into thin plates, which are placed in clean glass containers.
- Hot marinade is poured over the ginger, and the jars are tightly closed.
- When the pickled ginger has cooled, it can be put into the cold for ripening.
A snack will be ready in a few days. It is perfect for meat dishes, fish and, of course, Japanese favorite sushi. If cleanliness is maintained during preparation and storage in the refrigerator, pickled ginger does not lose its taste and useful properties for up to three months.
Cooking pickled ginger yourself - video
