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THE CHEF ENCYCLOPEDIA:
Culinary Herb & Spice Reference Guide
Galangal
[also Galanga, China Root, India Root, East India Catarrh Root, Greater
Galangal, Laos Ginger, Siamese Ginger, Thai Ginger, Lesser Galangal,
Gargaut, Colic Root]
Greater: Languas galangal
(Syn Alpinia galanga)
Lesser: Languas officinarum
(Syn Alpina officinarum)
Kaempferia: Kaempferia galanga
(Syn Kaempferia pandurata)
Family: Zingaberaceae or Scilaminae
There are actually three species of plants falling under the name Galangal.
The most common and best known Greater Galangal, also called Laos Ginger,
Siamese Ginger and Thai Ginger, grows throughout Southeast Asia. Native
to Java and Hainan Island (China), Greater Galangal is widely used in
Indonesia and Malaysia as a food flavoring and spice. It is particularly
popular in Thai cooking, where the creamy white-fleshed rhizome is used
as a substitute for ginger. Lesser Galangal has an orangish flesh and
a stronger, hotter flavor, is native to South China and has been mentioned
in ancient manuscripts of both China and India. Kaempferia galanga is
also referred to Lesser Galangal, and is used extensively as a spice
throughout tropical Asia.
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