Thematic TimelineGinger

By:Chris Lung

Natalie Haddad Laura Norkeviciute

A. History of Trade and Economic Impact.

Ginger HistoryOriginated in Southeast Asia

Recorded in the 4th Century BC (India)

Recorded in China in the 5th Century BC by Confucius

By the 6th Century CE Ginger was being potted and traded in the early Indian Ocean Trade Routes

In Europe, there were beliefs that Ginger originated from the Garden of Eden

Ginger popularity fell in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire

By the 11th Century CE it was a very popular trade item by Muslim merchants going to Europe; the most common purpose was to add taste drinks/foods and medicine

In the 15th Century CE, Ginger was traded on ships to Africa and the Caribbean

Today Ginger is grown worldwide, with the most popular kinds from China and Jamaica

Ginger Prices and Today’s Use

Prices jumped after ginger’s first discovery and again in 11th and 15th Century when ginger was traded along the Silk Road and ocean trade routes

In the 14th Century CE, a pound of ginger was equal to a whole sheep or 1 shilling and 7 pence

Demand and prices for ginger rose in the 16th Century CE

because of its transfer to Africa and the Caribbean

Today, Ginger cost about 7 USD per pound

There is a World Market of Ginger that monitors the production and prices of Ginger which is still high and popular today

Today’s uses of Ginger are for various medical treatments and food flavoring

Today Ginger add flavor to foods and aids the body in absorbing more nutrients and fighting many diseases/viruses

Prices (USD) of similar items to Ginger:

Organic Ginger Root ($9 per pound)

Ginger Root ($6 per pound)

Crystallized Ginger Root ($5.50 per pound)

Organic Ginger Power ($8.80 per pound)

Ginger Powder ($6.20 per pound)

Gingerbread ($9 per Pound)

Ginger Ale ($20.60, 4 pack, 12 oz)

Ginger Tea ($6-7 per 20 pack box)

Pictures, Maps, and Charts (A)

Pictures of Ginger in different forms

Pictures, Maps, and Charts Cont.

Ginger Powder Ginger Tea

Pictures, Maps, and Charts Cont.

Spices Routes which Ginger was traded on. Silk Road (Blue), Indian Ocean Trade (Red, Sub-Saharan/Mediterranean (Purple)

Pictures, Maps, and Charts Cont.

Trade Routes which Ginger was spread along

Pictures, Maps, and Charts Cont.

Ginger Nutrition Facts Ginger Process Chart

Pictures, Maps, and Charts Cont.

World Ginger Imports Chart

B. Cultural Influence

-Ginger is a tuber that is consumed whole as a delicacy, medicine, or spice.

-It is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale.

-It lends its name to its genus and family (Zingiberaceae).

-1585, ships from the West Indies arrived in Europe with a cargo of Jamaican ginger, a root originating in India and South China, which became the first Asian spice to grow successfully in the New World.

B: Literature/ Tales-Ginger was used for commerce, in the Eastern World well into antiquity. These spices found their way into the Middle East before the beginning of the Common Era, where the true sources of these spices was withheld by the traders, and associated with fantastic tales.

-“Ginger and Pickle” is Potter's celebration of village life and emphasizes her preoccupation at the time of composition with keeping accounts, making a profit, and dealing with neighbors as clients. Shop keeping was thought an appropriate subject for children's books of the period and fold-out pages displayed the many products that would be found in a shop. In Ginger and Pickles, Potter offers the child reader not only the various products but a glimpse of what interests adults in a village shop: the quirks and eccentricities of village residents and the social life that revolves around such a place.

Ginger is mentioned in ancient Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern writings, and has long been prized for its aromatic, culinary and medicinal properties.

B: Language/Social

Ginger is vital to most Asian cuisines and pops up in many Western cuisines too.

Indians call it adrak in its green form and sonth in its dried form; the Spanish call it jengibre, the Italians zenzero, the French gingembre, the Indonesians aliah and the Thai call it khing – but all agree that it’s importance in their cuisines and health.

Little wonder then that a well-known proverb in Hindi is ‘Bandar kya jaane adrak ka swad?’ – What does a monkey know about the taste of ginger? - Essentially implying that ignorant people can’t be expected to appreciate quality. Today almost everyone – excepting the said monkey – does know the value of ginger, both as a taste agent and a health aid.

B: Culinary/Religious

-Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be steeped in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Ginger can also be made into candy.

-Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent, and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes, and is an quintessential ingredient of Chinese, Japanese and many South Asian cuisines for flavoring dishes such as seafood or goat meat and vegetarian cuisine.

-Ginger acts as a useful food preservative.

-Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground ginger at a ratio of 6 to 1, although the flavors of fresh and dried ginger are somewhat different. Powdered dry ginger root is typically used as a flavoring for recipes such as gingerbread, cookies, crackers and cakes, ginger ale, and ginger beer.

B: Religious

In religious ceremonies (for Rais), even before it became commercial it was cultivated near the homestead.

Non-family members and animals are not allowed to enter the ginger fields. Usually the father is the only one who can enter.

It’s believed that spirits reside in the ginger fields and outsiders entering the field would be cursed by it, resulting in a diseases that would make his/her limbs distorted and swollen (dewa).

Religious ritual called Naya Ko Puja, is performed in which new crop is offered to the gods and spirits. Only after the ritual, the crop can be used inside.

Ginger was not religiously or culturally important to the Brahmin-Chhetris people.

Another group of people that used ginger religiously were the Lepchas and Bhotias.

Naya Ko Puja(Godess)

B: In India

Most states in India have a signature steamed dish.

In a Hindu story called Mahabrata , Ginger is mentioned throughout the book as an element used in a beef stew to enhance the flavor.

In Gujarat, it is the dhokla, says Julie Sahni, in her cookbook "Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking." Dhoklas are steamed savory cakes made from rice and channa dal, or yellow split peas. Raw rice and channa dal are ground to make coarse flour and then are mixed with yogurt, chiles, ginger, turmeric and lemon juice.

The batter is spread onto round pans and steamed for about 10 minutes. After the cakes cool, they are cut into diamond shaped pieces.

B: Culture/Social

Ginger produces clusters of white and pink flower buds that bloom into yellow flowers. Because of its aesthetic appeal and the adaptation of the plant to warm climates, ginger is often used as landscaping around subtropical homes. It is a perennial reed-like plant with annual leafy stems, about a meter (3 to 4 feet) tall.

Traditionally, the root is gathered when the stalk withers; it is immediately scalded, or washed and scraped, to kill it and prevent sprouting.

The ginger oil is the foundation for such drinks as ginger beer and ginger ale. The ginger tea of Kashmir is famous, as are the gingersnaps and gingerbread of Europe and America.

-Ginger cookies are made even today during the holidays.

C. Ginger- from Harvest to End of Use

The major producers of Ginger are Jamaica, India, Brazil, Nigeria, Thailand, Australia, and Fiji.

Ginger consists of Rhizomes, flowers, and fruits.

The Rhizome is the stem of the plant that grows underground. It is typically knobby and fleshy and also covered in rings.

Thirty centimeter long purple flowers grow from the Rhizome.

The fruit that grows is a red fruit which contains seeds.

Ginger grows to the high of about one meter. It had an erected stem and thick tuberous stems.

The plant also gives off small green-yellow flowers.

Ginger thrives in hot and dry seasons, and very wet seasons.

The harvesting time of ginger changes with the different uses.

Fresh ginger requires five months of harvesting while dry ginger takes eight to nine months.

Ginger is typically processed into a dry form because that is the form that is in highest demand.

To prepare dry ginger, the ginger plant must be boiled first in order to kill the rhizomes.

The ginger is sun dried and then pulverized to produce oils.

In the market..

Ginger is known for its peppery taste. Ginger aroma is a mixture of sweet, spicy, and sharp. Ginger is found in six forms, which all serve different purposes. These six forms include:

Fresh ginger Dried gingerPickled gingerCrystallized gingerGround gingerPreserved ginger

New technologies in ginger production led to the production of ginger oil. Ginger oil is created by a steam distillation process.

Pickled Ginger Dried Ginger

Crystallized Ginger

The Many uses of Ginger

Ginger is used for culinary purposes Ginger is used alone as a condiment.

Also it is used in flavoring foods like puddings, pies, biscuits, and cookies.

Ginger also flavors many beverages including tea, ginger ale, and ginger beer.

Ginger purposes continued..

Ginger has many medical purposes as well. Ginger helps with digestion and is known to help stomach aches and digestion problems. Helpful for cramping stomachs and diarrhea. Helps take care of nausea. Reduces inflammation and muscle pain. Helps to reduce arthritis. Circulates blood, takes away toxins, cleans the bowels and kidneys. Helps skin issues.

D. Governmental Actions

3000 BC to 1299 CEGinger is used for culinary purposes

Ginger was used in the medicine field to help cure and prevent bacterial and viral infections and diseases. However, the prime use of Ginger use would flourish in the 4th Century CE.

India and China used Ginger for its medical properties which then increased the value and price of Ginger

In a Hindu story (document) called Mahabrata , Ginger is mentioned throughout the book as an element used in a beef stew to enhance the flavor, as a result, Ginger grew in popularity throughout India

Some historians believe that the Chinese fought over Ginger and other valuable crops and spices because the crops and spices were so valuable to one’s economy

Ginger from 3000 BC to 1299 CE Continued..

Arab traders took the rooted version of Ginger called a Rhizome to the Greeks and Romans who also used it which also increased the value of Ginger.

To limit the expansion and keep the price high, taxes were imposed on merchants carrying Ginger by some Arab states

Some (mostly Arabs/Muslims) would keep it in a preserved form to make sweets and to enhance foods and drinks particularly meat dishes and buttermilk drinks

The Chinese, Indians, and Muslims would plant Rhizomes and then cultivate them at different times. The government would only allow a certain amount of Ginger to be export, but another reason why Ginger was picked at different times was because the younger the Ginger is, it would provide more flavor to the dish and the older a Ginger is, the more effective the medical properties are.

D. Government Control 1300 C.E. to 1700 C.E

From 1618 to 1648 the thirty years war took place between today’s Germany and most of the countries of Europe. This war was caused because of many things including the want for spices for trade. One of these spices was ginger. Spices were crucial at this time for trade and economic growth.

Governmental actions 1300 C.E. to 1700 C.E. continued..

Christopher Columbus discovered the West Indies in 1492. Disputes arose over who the land belonged to. The Portuguese king claimed they were his because the lands were south of the canaries. This argument was ended though with the treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. This treaty stated that all new land west of a line that was 370 degrees west of the Cape Verde islands would belong to Spain and lands east of this line were Portuguese property. In 1498 Vasco da Gama led an expedition around Africa to India. Asia was rich in spices, including ginger. At this time spices were very expensive in Europe. In the beginning the Portuguese dominated the spice trade. They were able to conquer many lands and gain a lot of power and spices.

D: 1701 C.E. to Present

Food units are generally for large quantities, not comparable to modern supermarket prices.

Most farmers are smallholders, as per capita availability of land has been declining rapidly due to population pressure. Crops like maize, potatoes, ginger and cardamom are grown in the higher areas.

Ginger is the main, if not only, cash crop for many farmers in our study area. Ginger can be grown economically on small plots in a wide range of environments. Thus, smallholders and marginal farmers can grow ginger and sell or consume the crop without any processing. Because farmers rely so much on this crop, control and decision making in the production cycle are of great importance.

Asia still grows most of the spices that once ruled the trade, including cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. However, more and more spices are being planted in the Western Hemisphere along with a wide variety of herbs and aromatic seeds.

From the beginning of history the strongest nations have controlled the spice trade. The same is true today; the United States is now the world's major spice buyer, followed by Germany, Japan, and France.

France was a major power in the 17th century, but it did not play a large part in the developing trade because it did not invest in spice exploration. However, Frenchmen did help to break the Dutch hold on the market. They stole enough cloves, ginger cinnamon, and un-limed nutmeg from the Dutch to begin plantings on French-controlled islands in the Indian Ocean.

D:1701 C.E. to Present cont.

As with most spices though, ginger was used only by the more affluent until the middle of the 1700s when spices became more affordable to the average person. Today ginger is cultivated in southern China, India, parts of the African continent, and on the islands of Madagascar and Hawaii.

Prices of cooking staples like ginger and garlic have doubled over the past year, according to the Ministry of Commerce. A ministry survey done in 36 cities found garlic prices shot up 96 percent, while ginger prices also rose 90 percent.

The trend is expected to continue due to increasing labor and land costs.

Compared with agricultural commodities such as food grains and cotton which are controlled by the government, it is much easier for hot money to make waves in the agricultural market for products such like garlic, ginger and vegetables, which require close government regulation to ensure stable prices.

The government does not regulate herbal remedies, so quality and potency can vary from product to product.

Since the economy went down, prices went up, this caused less people to keep buying the high quality ginger and even those who do, only get it for serious purposes. But those who do buy it; the economy is thankful to.

Continued: Recently in Life…

Judy, 33, is separating from Peter after 8 years of marriage. She stayed home. The family assets are worth 1.5 M. Peter earned $400,000 last year. Her objectives are to succeed on her own. She believes that there is a future in natural medicine and wants to set up her own ginger farm. Her priority is to get as much money from the settlement as possible so she can invest it in “Judy’s Ginger”. $700,000 net of tax sounds fair. While she isn’t interested in receiving support from Peter, she would appreciate accessing his business acumen from time to time.

Who Did What?

Natalie: Part C (slides 18-24) and Part D 1300 C.E. to 1700 C.E.(slides 27-29)

Chris: Part A (slides 2-10) and Part D 3000 BC to 1299 CE (slides 25-26)

Laura: Part B (slides 11-17) and Part D- 1701 C.E to present (slides 30-32).

Bibliography

"Ginger." University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginger-000246.htm.

"The History of Herbology and its Practice." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. <http://www.suite101.com/content/the-history-of-herbology-a260477>.

Anonymous. "PLANT CULTURES - Ginger History." PLANT CULTURES - Home Page. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. <http://www.plantcultures.org/plants/ginger_history.html>.