Galangal
Galangal is a root with culinary and medicinal uses, best known in the west today for its appearance in
Thai cuisine but also common in recipes from medieval Europe. It resembles
ginger in appearance and taste but has an extra citrus aroma, with a slight hint of soapiness. It is available as a powder from vendors of Oriental spices and whole, cut, or powdered from vendors of herbs. Also known as galingale or Laos (its Indonesian name). Coincidentally, it is one of the most prominent herbs in
Lao cuisine.
The word galangal, or its variant galanga is used as a common name for all members of Alpinia, but in common usage can refer to three plants, all in the zingiberaceae:
- Alpinia galanga or Greater galangal
- Alpinia officinarum or Lesser galangal
- Kaempferia galanga, also called chinese ginger or fingerroot
A. galanga is also known as Chewing John, Little John Chew and Galanga Root. Under these names, it is used in folk medicine and in
voodoo charms.