"Wazza" > wrote in message : >
: I think the 'stem' ginger you think you have seen is in fact fresh root
: ginger. Both 'root' and 'stem' are misnomers, I think they both come from
: the same part of the plant, ie the rhizome. Stem ginger is rhizome that
has
: been boiled in sugar syrup. This 'stem' ginger looks like angular balls,
and
: would be the one to use in your recipe, if you like it sweet.
: HTH
: Wazza
:
No I cook with fresh root (rhizome) ginger all the time. The "stem ginger"
looks a bit like onion tops and is used sliced up as a garnish - maybe it
was actual stems, it did seem to be gingery and that's what the waiter said
it was. I don't know it was years ago in a restaurant.

It seems that "stem ginger" is commonly used to describe the tender younger
bits of the rhizome preserved in sugar syrup. I wonder if the actual stems
are ever available?

David