Red ginger

Red ginger looks almost identical to ginger, but for its darker, ruddy brown skin. Two varieties, Greater and Lesser are grown simultaneously and put to different uses.

Greater Red Ginger: Most commonly used in cooking, this variety of red ginger offers a peppery, citrusy and slightly sweet flavour. The roots are typically quite fat and long, with a thin, dark ruddy brown skin that's easily peeled. It's suitable in soups, stews, made into marinades and pastes, as well as candied in syrup or as flavouring in pastries or cakes.

Lesser Red Ginger: Smaller than it's Greater cousin, the roots are typically quite small and stubby with the same ruddy brown skin. The flavour is similar but much more pungeant and with a bitter note at the end.

-Prepared as a warm tea it is used to alieviate stomach aches and other discomforts as well as diarrhea.

-Pounded into a sweet paste with mace, nutmeg, cinnamon and honey it is used to treat inflammation and arthritis.

-Cut thick and pickled, it is used to treat male impotence.