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Galangal
Galangal () is a rhizome of plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originating in Indonesia. It is one of four species in the genus ''Alpinia'', and is known for its pungent, aromatic flavor. Greater galangal (''Alpinia galanga'') is most commonly used, and is similar to ginger and turmeric. It is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Lesser galangal (''Alpinia officinarum'') and other types are also used, though less frequently. In traditional medicine, galangal is used to treat various ailments. It is a common ingredient in Thai, Indonesian, and Malaysian cuisine, and is also used in some traditional Chinese medicine. Differentiation The word ''galangal'', or its variant ''galanga'' or archaically ''galingale'', can refer in common usage to the aromatic rhizome of any of four plant species in the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family, namely: * ''Alpinia galanga'', also called ''greater galangal'', ''lengkuas'', ''Siamese ginger'' or ''laos' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpinia Officinarum
''Alpinia officinarum'', known as lesser galangal, is a plant in the ginger family, cultivated in Southeast Asia. It originated in China, where its name ultimately derives. It can grow 1.5 to 2 m high, with long leaves and reddish-white flowers. The rhizomes, known as galangal, are valued for their sweet spicy flavor and aromatic scent. These are used throughout Asia in curries and perfumes, and were previously used widely in Europe. They are also used as a herbal remedy. Etymology The genus is named for Prospero Alpini, a 17th-century Italian botanist who specialized in exotic plants. The word "galangal" comes from the Arabic form of a Chinese word for the plant, "高良薑" ("gou-loeng-goeng" in Cantonese, "gao-liang-jiang" in Mandarin).Grieve, M.Galangal. From ', 1931. In Tamil it is known as a "சிற்றரத்தை or சித்தரத்தை" ("see-tha-ra-thai), widely used in Siddha Medicine and in culinaries. Description This herbaceous plant can grow u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 China, Taiwan, Cambodia, and India, but is also widely cultivated throughout Southeast Asia. Culinary and medical use ''Kaempferia galanga'' is used as a spice in cooking in Indonesia, where it is called ''kencur'' ('cekur' in Malaysia), and especially in Javanese and Balinese cuisines. ''Beras kencur'', which combines dried ''K. galanga'' powder with rice flour, is a particularly popular '' jamu'' herbal drink. Its leaves are also used in the Malay rice dish, '' nasi ulam''. Unlike the similar '' Boesenbergia rotunda'' (Thai กระชาย ''krachai''), ''K. galanga'' is not commonly used in Thai cuisine, but can be bought as a dried rhizome or in powder form at herbal medicine stalls. It is known in Thai as ''proh horm'' (เป ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lao Cuisine
Lao cuisine or Laotian cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Laos. The staple food of the Lao is sticky rice (, ''khao niao'', ). Laos has the highest sticky rice consumption per capita in the world with an average of of sticky rice consumed annually per person. Sticky rice is deeply ingrained in the culture, religious tradition, and national identity of Laos. It is a common belief within the Lao community that no matter where they are in the world, sticky rice will always be the glue that holds the Lao communities together, connecting them to their culture and to Laos. Affinity for sticky rice is considered the essence of what it means to be Lao. Often the Lao will refer to themselves as ''luk khao niao'' (, ), which can be translated as 'children or descendants of sticky rice'. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has described Laos as a "collector's paradise". Laos has the highest degrees of biodiversity of sticky rice in the world. As of 2013, approxim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Kha Gai
''Tom kha kai'', ''tom kha gai'', or Thai coconut soup (, ; ) is a spicy and sour hot soup with coconut milk in Thai cuisine. History ''Tom kha'' is a Thai soup that originated around 1890 and was first recorded in a Thai recipe book. The earliest recorded version of the soup was called ''tom kha pet'', and it featured duck and young galangal in a coconut milk-based curry. Over time, chicken became a more popular protein choice and the dish evolved into the version known as ''tom kha kai'', which is made with chicken instead of duck. In addition to chicken, shrimp is also a popular protein option and is often referred to as ''tom kha kung''. ''Tom kha'' shares many base ingredients with another popular Thai soup called '' tom yam''. However, ''tom kha'' is distinguished by the addition of coconut milk, which lends it a creamy texture and a milder, sweeter taste compared to ''tom yam''. Ingredients ''Tom kha kai'' recipes typically include coconut milk, galangal (sometimes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kroeung
''Kroeung'' (, ) is a generic Khmer word for a number of spice/herb pastes that make up the base flavors of many Khmer dishes.Cambodian Cooking Clas''What makes Cambodian Cuisine different'' Accessed July 21, 2007. Such dishes are often dubbed with the "-kroeung" suffix. ''Kroeung'' is traditionally made by finely chopping the ingredients and grinding them together using a heavy mortar and pestle although mechanical food processors can be used in modern kitchens. Various ingredients, depending on the dish and the taste of the cook, can be pounded into ''kroeung''. The eight most commonly used are lemongrass, magrut lime zest and leaves, galangal, turmeric, garlic, shallots, dried red chillies and various rhizomes ( lesser galangal, fingerroot, ''Kaempferia galanga'', etc.). This herbal paste is essential for preparing Khmer dishes in order to create the authentic flavour. ''Kroeung'' has two main categories: "individual ''kroeung''" and "royal ''kroeung''". Individual ''kroeu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spices
In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish (food), garnish. Spices and seasoning do not mean the same thing, but spices fall under the seasoning category with herbs. Spices are sometimes used in medicine, Sacred rite, religious rituals, cosmetics, or perfume production. They are usually classified into spices, spice seeds, and herbal categories. For example, vanilla is commonly used as an ingredient in Aroma compound, fragrance manufacturing. Plant-based sweeteners such as sugar are not considered spices. Spices can be used in various forms, including fresh, whole, dried, grated, chopped, crushed, ground, or extracted into a tincture. These processes may occur before the spice is sold, during meal preparation in the kitchen, or even at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medicinal Plants
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including Plant defense against herbivory, defense and protection against insects, fungi, Plant disease resistance, diseases, against parasites and herbivorous mammals. The earliest historical records of herbs are found from the Sumerian civilization, where hundreds of medicinal plants including opium are listed on clay tablets, . The Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt, , describes over 850 plant medicines. The Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides, Dioscorides, who worked in the Roman army, documented over 1000 recipes for medicines using over 600 medicinal plants in , ; this formed the basis of pharmacopoeias for some 1500 years. Drug research sometimes makes use of ethnobotany to search for pharmacologically active substances, and this approach has yielded hundreds of use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human societies. Ethnobotany integrates knowledge from botany, anthropology, ecology, and chemistry to study plant-related customs across cultures. Researchers in this field document and analyze how different societies use local flora for various purposes, including medicine, food, religious use, intoxicants, building materials, fuels and clothing. Richard Evans Schultes, often referred to as the "father of ethnobotany", provided an early definition of the discipline: Since Schultes' time, ethnobotany has evolved from primarily documenting traditional plant knowledge to applying this information in modern contexts, particularly in pharmaceutical development. The field now addresses complex issues such as intellectual property rights and equitab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 leaves) about one meter tall, bearing narrow leaf blades. The inflorescences bear flowers having pale yellow petals with purple edges, and arise directly from the rhizome on separate shoot (botany), shoots. Ginger is in the family (taxonomy), family Zingiberaceae, which also includes turmeric (''Curcuma longa''), cardamom (''Elettaria cardamomum''), and galangal. Ginger originated in Maritime Southeast Asia and was likely domesticated first by the Austronesian peoples. It was transported with them throughout the Indo-Pacific during the Austronesian expansion ( Before Present, BP), reaching as far as Hawaii. Ginger is one of the first spices to have been exported from Asia, arriving in Europe with the spice trade, and was used by ancient Gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka
Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka ( ) − colloquially shortened to Żołądkowa Gorzka or Żołądkowa − is a herbal vodka from Poland, and the leading brand of Polmos-Lublin/Stock Polska since 1950. The name translating as "bitter stomach vodka", Żołądkowa Gorzka follows in a long Polish tradition of infused fruit and herb vodkas known as nalewka. The traditional Polish practice of producing nalewka dates back to at least the 16th century and is typically done at home, but there are several commercial brands including Żołądkowa Gorzka. The brand has enjoyed popularity among consumers and has been introduced to international markets. In addition to Poland, Żołądkowa Gorzka is available in the USA, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Spain. In 2012, the ''Czysta de Luxe'' variant was the ninth-most popular vodka in the world, by sales. Żołądkowa Gorzka has received several awards, including the Oskar FMCG 2006 award, a CoolBrands award, the gold medal at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
