is a type of tsukemono (Japanese pickled

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s). It is made from sweet, thinly sliced

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

that has been marinated in a solution of

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

and

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

. Younger ginger is generally preferred for ''gari'' because of its tender flesh and natural sweetness. ''Gari'' is often served and eaten after

sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

, and is sometimes called sushi ginger. It may also simply be called pickled ginger. In Japanese cuisine, it is considered to be essential in the presentation of sushi. Some believe it is used to cleanse the

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...

between eating different pieces of sushi, or, alternatively, it may be eaten before or after the meal. When traditionally prepared, ''gari'' typically has a pale yellow to slightly pink hue from the

pickling Pickling is the process of food preservation, preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either Anaerobic organism, anaerobic fermentation (food), fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects t ...

process. Only very young ginger will develop the slight pink tint naturally.. Many brands of commercially produced ''gari'' are colored pink, artificially or naturally, often by using E124, beet juice or red (perilla leaves), either to intensify the existing pink color or because the ginger used was too mature to turn pink upon pickling.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gari (Ginger) Japanese pickles Sushi Ginger dishes

See also

References