Galangal () is a common name for several tropical rhizomatous spices.

Differentiation

The word ''galangal'', or its variant ''galanga'' or archaically ''galingale'', can refer in common usage to the aromatic

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ...

of any of four plant species in the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family, namely: *'' Alpinia galanga'', also called ''greater galangal'', ''lengkuas'' or ''laos'' *'' Alpinia officinarum'', or ''lesser galangal'' *'' Boesenbergia rotunda'', also called ''Chinese ginger'' or ''fingerroot'' *''

Kaempferia galanga ''Kaempferia galanga'', commonly known as kencur, aromatic ginger, sand ginger, cutcherry, is a monocotyledonous plant in the ginger family, and one of four plants called galangal. It is found primarily in open areas in Indonesia, southern C ...

'', also called ''kencur'', ''black galangal'' or ''sand ginger'' The term ''galingale'' is sometimes also used for the rhizome of the unrelated ''sweet cyperus'' ('' Cyperus longus''), traditionally used as a folk medicine in Europe.

Uses

Various galangal rhizomes are used in traditional Southeast Asian cuisine, such as Khmer kroeung (paste), Thai and Lao tom yum and tom kha gai soups, Vietnamese

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

cuisine (tré) and throughout

Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...

, as in soto and opor. Polish Żołądkowa Gorzka vodka is flavoured with galangal. While all varieties of galangal are closely related to common

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 a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

, each is unique in its own right. Due to their unique taste profiles, galangals are not typically regarded as synonymous with ginger or each other in traditional Asian dishes. It was popular in medieval

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, where it was generally known as "galingale". In

ethnobotany Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for m ...

, galangal has been reported to be used for its purported merits in promoting digestion and alleviating respiratory diseases and stomach problems. Each galangal variety has been attributed specific medical virtues. In commerce, galangals are commonly available in Asian markets as whole fresh

, or in dried and sliced, or powdered form.

References

Medicinal plants Zingiberaceae Spices Thai cuisine Lao cuisine Vietnamese cuisine Indonesian cuisine Plant common names {{Vietnam-cuisine-stub