In previous years, the woodlands’ blog has looked at various seasonal foods, such as the Christmas pudding, the Christmas lunch and the seasonal spices.  However, one seasonal flavour that has escaped our attention is ginger. Gingerbread men, gingerbread houses are now very much part of Christmas celebrations in many parts of the world.  The gingerbread house probably dates back to C18th Germany, and associated with the brothers Grimm tale of Hansel and Gretel.   Setting time aside at Christmas to build a gingerbread house is a particularly Swedish tradition. Gingerbread biscuits in the form of people may go back to the court of Queen Elizabeth, where they were made in the likeness of important guests.  In Bergen (Norway), volunteers build a gingerbread town, this is called the Pepperkakebyen,.  buildings, trains, carousels, ferris wheels and scenes from Bergen are made in gingerbread form. Ginger comes from the fleshy root, actually  the  rhizome of Zingiber officinale, [a rhizome is an underground stem].  The plant is a herbaceous perennial which grows to a height of approximately one metre with  narrow leaf blades. Ginger belongs to flowering family Zingiberaceae, which includes turmeric and  cardamom.  Ginger originated in Southeast Asia, it was grown in China and then moved across that part of the world and found its way to Europe with the Spice Trade.   [caption id="attachment_40708" align="aligncenter" width="678"] fresh ginger [/caption] [caption id="attachment_40741" align="alignleft" width="300"] three ginger teabag[/caption] In the western world, it was possibly first used by the Greeks, then the crusaders brought some back with them but it was not until the mid 1600’s that ginger and other spices became more generally available, although expensive.  As a spice, ginger is now easily found in powdered form in supermarkets but fresh ginger root is also available.  The ginger root contains a large number of chemical compounds; zingiberene makes up some 30% of the root’s essential oil, other compounds include  ß-sesquiphelandrene and ar-curcumene.  When the root is sliced up and infused with hot water, a ginger tea is the result.   Ginger in various forms has been used in traditional and alternative medicine, it may aid in digestion and reduce nausea and has been recommended to help with morning sickness in pregnancy. There is some evidence that ginger may help with weight management and possibly arthritis. Ginger with cloves, nutmeg and black pepper combine to make ‘quatre épices’, which was used in sausage making.  All four spices contain antimicrobial compounds, which would help stave off bacterial growth.  At this time of year, Ginger is often used with other spices, for example, cinnamon. The two may be combined in a tea or used in the making of biscuits / cookies, including the traditional gingerbread men for Christmas.

At this time of year, certain flavourings come to the fore.  Cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon are a bit more prominent than at other times of year.  Though widely used in many cultures and cuisines, they are perhaps more associated with the winter months and Christmas.  Nutmeg comes from a dark leaved, evergreen tree Myristica fragrans.   The tree is indigenous to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia (specifically the Banda Islands), but is now widely grown in Indonesia, Malaysia, Grenada in the Caribbean and Kerala in India. The tree is dioecious, that is to say, there are male and female trees.  Male trees are unproductive in terms of nutmeg harvest, so grafting of cuttings from female trees is often used to produce new plants.  The trees take some twenty years to reach ‘peak production’. The fruit of the tree yields the Nutmeg, and the covering of the seed (the aril) is the source of Mace.  The fruits are gathered up and dried in the sun (for some 6 to 8 weeks).  As the structure dries,  the husk (seed coat) and seed separate.  The seed coat or shell is then broken and the seed picked out; it is separated from the reddish aril, which is the source of mace.  The grinding of the seed yields nutmeg.  Nutmeg has a distinctive, somewhat pungent fragrance and contributes a warm, slightly sweet taste to food.  It is used to flavour mulled wine, punches and cider, added to pumpkin pie and can be used to ‘spice up’ baking, from gingerbread to muffins or chocolate and fruit cakes. Nutmeg oil, which can be produced by a process of steam distillation, is rich in terpenes (like pinene and limonene).  It, too, can be used as a food flavouring or in products like toothpaste !  Mace, from the covering of the seed, has a more delicate flavour (than nutmeg) and may give a saffron-like colour to dishes - which may range from meat recipes to Christmas pudding. Cinnamon is used extensively in many cuisines and even in scented candles.  It is one of the most commonly used spices in Sweden.  Indeed, such is the ‘importance’ of their cinnamon buns - kanelbullar - that the Swedes now have an official Cinnamon Bun Day - on October 4th!  [caption id="attachment_39202" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Cinnamon 'buns'[/caption] Together with other spices such as turmeric, saffron, sumac, and cardamom, cinnamon is widely used in Portuguese, Turkish and Persian Cooking.  The properties of cinnamon come from the chemicals - cinnamaldehyde and eugenol. The cinnamaldehyde is largely responsible for the flavour and aroma of cinnamon,   whilst the eugenol has a pleasant, spicy, clove-like scent.  Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum,  the trees belong the Laurel family.  They are four main species associated with cinnamon production “ Cinnamomum verum  Cinnamomum burmannii Cinnamomum cassia  Cinnamomum loureiroi C. verum has its origins in Sri Lanka and is sometimes referred to as ‘true cinnamon’, with the material derived from other sources sometimes referred to as “cassia’.  The material derived from the different Cinnamomum species has different physical properties.  Ceylon cinnamon gives a thin inner bark of a light brown colour, with a crumbly texture.  It has a subtle and aromatic flavour. , whereas, Cassia has a stronger, spicy flavour (and is much used in baking).   Most of the world’s production of cinnamon cassia now comes from Indonesia and China.  Cinnamon and cassia are often used interchangeably.  The trees are evergreen, with oval shaped leaves and a thick bark.  When a tree is two years old, it is coppiced.  That is, it is cut back to ground level so that in the following year a number of shoots are produced, which are allowed to grow on for future harvesting.  When cut, the stems have the outer bark is scraped off so that the inner bark can be removed.  It is this material that is rich in the spice.  As it dries, it curls up into rolls or ‘quills’.  Like many spices and metals, cinnamon was extensively traded across the ancient world.  It was utilized as a perfume in rubbing oils and was also used as a fragrance in the mummification / preservation of dead bodies in ancient Egypt.  Nero was said to have burned enormous quantities of the spice / incense at the funeral of his wife (Poppaea).  In recent times, cinnamon rich materials have been investigated for medical uses, specially in relation to type 2 diabetes and blood sugar control. Thanks to Pixabay for images (Emmie_Norfolk and aga2rk)