I grew up in southern Ontario and wouldn’t have recognized a piece of ginger root had I tripped over it, my Canadian upbringing had been quite sheltered when it came to exotic foods. I associated ginger with cookies made just at Christmastime, and they were made with bottled ginger powder from mom’s spice rack. My mother, while a decent enough cook, never used exciting items in her kitchen, and I therefore wasn’t exposed to ginger and the many ways it can be utilized until I came to live in St. Vincent.
The first time I tasted ginger I literally gagged; Mac’s mother had given me a glass of her potent ginger beer, and I wasn’t prepared for the way it scalded my throat! Momma laughed when she noticed my discomfort and told me that I would “become accustomed”, something I seriously doubted. Why anyone hot and thirsty would want to drink ginger beer puzzled me at first, but I discovered that momma was right – I DID become “accustomed” as long as the juice was poured over lots of ice, and found that it was actually quite thirst-quenching once I got used to it.
It took years before I was brave enough to use fresh ginger root in the kitchen. I bought ginger beer for the Pizzeria from Mac’s Aunt Ettie, and had little time to experiment with something that was, to me anyway, a foreign item. Mac suggested I grate ginger along with the garlic while making curry, and brought me a pile to work with. Well, I HAD watched Momma making curry and knew what to do with the ginger, but didn’t want to admit that I had no idea how to prepare the root for grating. When Mac saw me reach for a potato peeler he laughed, and took over the peeling of the ginger.
“You never peel ginger, you scrape it so”.
As Mac scraped a sharp knife over the root, he explained that the best part of the ginger was right below the skin, and that peeling the root would remove its potency. I figured that Mac knew best, and for many years I’ve faithfully scraped the roots along with parts of my fingers – I keep my knives very sharp and often nick myself in the process!
One day I stumbled across an article by Chef Jamie Oliver, and was intrigued by how professionals peel ginger. I watched the Chef’s video closely, and saw that he picked up a spoon as opposed to a knife, and used the edge of the spoon to remove the skin. The ginger root was cleaned in no time without the use of a sharp knife, and I knew then and there that nicked fingers from scraping ginger was a thing of the past.
This of course works best if the ginger is fresh, once it dries the root becomes wizened and the spoon can’t do the job efficiently. I’m happy to have discovered this new method of peeling ginger, and my fingers are happy too!