Galangal () is a common name for several tropical rhizomatous spices.

Differentiation

The word ''galangal'', or its variant ''galanga'' or archaically ''galingale'', can refer in common usage to the aromatic

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

of any of four plant species in the

Zingiberaceae Zingiberaceae () or the ginger family is a family of flowering plants made up of about 50 genera with a total of about 1600 known species of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes distributed throughout tropical Af ...

(ginger) family, namely: *''

Alpinia galanga ''Alpinia galanga'', a plant in the ginger family, bears a rhizome used largely as an herb in Unani medicine and as a spice in Arab cuisine and Southeast Asian cookery. It is one of four plants known as "galangal". Its common names include g ...

'', also called ''greater galangal'', ''lengkuas'' or ''laos'' *''

Alpinia officinarum ''Alpinia officinarum'', known as lesser galangal, is a plant in the ginger family, cultivated in Southeast Asia. It originated in China, where its name ultimately derives. It can grow 1.5 to 2 m high, with long leaves and reddish-white flowers. ...

'', or ''lesser galangal'' *''

Boesenbergia rotunda ''Boesenbergia rotunda'' (Thai: กระชาย ''krachai'', Khmer: ខ្ជាយ ''k'jeay'', Indonesian: temu kunci), commonly known as Chinese keys, fingerroot, lesser galangal or Chinese ginger, is a medicinal and culinary herb from Chin ...

'', also called ''Chinese ginger'' or ''fingerroot'' *''

Kaempferia galanga ''Kaempferia galanga'', commonly known as kencur, aromatic ginger, sand ginger, cutcherry, is a monocotyledonous plant in the ginger family, and one of four plants called galangal. It is found primarily in open areas in Indonesia, southern Ch ...

'', also called ''kencur'', ''black galangal'' or ''sand ginger'' The term ''galingale'' is sometimes also used for the rhizome of the unrelated ''sweet cyperus'' (''

Cyperus longus ''Cyperus longus'' is a species of sedge known by the common names of sweet cyperus and water rush in Africa, or in Britain galingale (a variant name of galangal, an unrelated plant). It is a tall plant, growing up to in height, with creeping r ...

''), traditionally used as a folk medicine in Europe.

Uses

Various galangal rhizomes are used in traditional

Southeast Asian cuisine This is a list of Asian cuisines, by region. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated with a specific culture or region. Asia, being the largest, most populous and culturally diverse continent, ...

, such as Khmer

kroeung ''Kroeung'' ( km, គ្រឿង, krœăng, ) is a generic Khmer word for a number of spice/herb pastes that make up the base flavors of many Khmer dishes.Cambodian Cooking Clas''What makes Cambodian Cuisine different'' Accessed July 21, 2007. ...

(paste),

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

and Lao

tom yum Tom yum or tom yam (, ; th, ต้มยำ, ) is a type of hot and sour Thai soup, usually cooked with shrimp (prawn). The words "tom yam" are derived from two Thai words. ''Tom'' refers to the boiling process, while ''yam'' means 'mixed'. ...

and

tom kha gai ''Tom kha kai'', ''tom kha gai'', or Thai coconut soup ( th, ต้มข่าไก่, ; ) is a spicy and sour hot soup with coconut milk in Thai cuisine. Ingredients In Thailand, most ''tom kha kai'' recipes typically include coconut milk ...

soups, Vietnamese

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

cuisine (tré) and throughout

Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...

, as in soto and

opor Opor is a type of dish cooked and braised in coconut milk from Indonesia, especially from Central Java.Patrick Witton and Mark Elliott (2003)''Lonely Planet Indonesia'' Lonely Planet Publications, p. 108 In Indonesia the term 'opor' refers to the ...

. Polish Żołądkowa Gorzka vodka is flavoured with galangal. While all varieties of galangal are closely related to common

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

, each is unique in its own right. Due to their unique taste profiles, galangals are not typically regarded as synonymous with ginger or each other in traditional Asian dishes. It was popular in medieval

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, where it was generally known as "galingale". In

ethnobotany Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for m ...

, galangal has been reported to be used for its purported merits in promoting digestion and alleviating respiratory diseases and stomach problems. Each galangal variety has been attributed specific medical virtues. In commerce, galangals are commonly available in Asian markets as whole fresh

, or in dried and sliced, or powdered form.

References

Medicinal plants Zingiberaceae Spices Thai cuisine Lao cuisine Vietnamese cuisine Indonesian cuisine Plant common names {{Vietnam-cuisine-stub