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UNFOLDING HISTORY OF GINGER IN INDIA Sri. Philip Mody Asst.Professor Department of Commerce Rajiv Gandhi University Diomukh-791112, Arunachal Pradesh, India. E-mail- www.philipmodi@rediffmail.com Botanically, Ginger is known as Zingiber officinale which is a perennial herb belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. The English botanist William Roscoe (1753-1831) had coined the plant with present name i.e, Zingiber officinale in 1807 in his research publication. Ginger consists of more than 1200 plant species in 53 genera. The genus Zingiber includes about 85 species of aromatic herbs from East Asia and tropical Australia. Ginger has long drawn history of cultivation for so long that its exact origin is unclear and blur. It is known to have originated in Asia and is grown for millennia in India, China, India Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean from time immemorial. Ginger is a large tuberous perennial plant native to Southern Asia as turmeric and cardamom and has long been a staple addition to Asian cuisines. It is cultivated entensively in almost all tropical and sub-tropical countries In India, ginger cultivation may be traced back over to 3,000 years and the genus i.e., Zingiber, had been derived from a Sanskrit word known as 'Shringavera' indicating "horn root" with reference to the protrusions on the rhizome and its appearance. In addition to being a popular spice in India and China, it has been used as medicine since 2,500 years back as revealed from records in early Sanskrit and Chinese texts. Probably, it has got in touch with the Western countries and started cultivated since two thousand years back, as records revealed that it was subject of Roman tax in the second century after being imported via the Red Sea to Alexandria from South-East Asian countries. Although it was well known to the ancient Romans, it nearly vanished in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. Intriguingly, Marco Polo's trip to the Far East brought ginger back into Europe and then, it became not only a much-coveted spice, but also a very expensive one as a pound of ginger was then valued at the price of one sheep. Anglo-Saxon leech books of the 11th century divulge that, ginger is known in England even before the Norman Conquest. Fascinatingly, Queen Elizabeth-I of England is credited with the invention of the gingerbread man, which became a popular Christmas treat that give clear signal on its intensive market demand and commercial cultivation. By the dawn of 13th and 14th centuries, it was well-known to English palate which was considered next to then most favorite spice- pepper. Captivatingly, ginger, as a product of the Far East, was indelibly imprinted on the taste buds of Westerners even before potatoes, tomatoes, and corn were known to exist by them. Around the globe, it is known as Gingembre in French, Ingwer in German, Zenzero in Italian, Jengibre in Spanish, Cheung or Chiang in Burmese, Aliah in Indonesian, Mioga or Myoga in Japanese etc, and in Indian context, it is known as Adrak in Gujarati, Shunti in Kannada, Allam in Telugu, Inji in Tamil, Enchi in Malayalam, Alay in Marathi and Aduwa in Nepali respectively. Ginger is getting much popularity across the world which is no more only restricted to kitchen as mere spice but, also found in medicinal store and different retailers in various forms and shapes. Thus, it has been rightly remarked that “your food- ginger is your medicine”.
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