Ginger, candied (raw?, organic?)

Candied ginger ( Zingiber officinale R.) is the name given to pieces of ginger preserved with sugar and heat ( organic). Consumption in small quantities can have health benefits

Use in the kitchen

Candied ginger is eaten pure as a sweet or snack, or it is used in biscuits, cakes, muffins or bread (fruit bread) - similar to raisins. Due to the long cooking process, candied ginger is no longer raw, unlike gently dried fruit.

The sweet ginger pieces give ice cream, puddings, smoothies, parfaits or mousse (chocolate ginger mousse) a characteristic aroma due to their spiciness. Candied ginger can also make an interesting change in muesli. Finely chopped or made into a paste, candied ginger is suitable for spicy dishes such as curry, vegan stews, sauces and salad dressings. Or you can serve it with vegan sweet sushi as a dessert.

Remember that this spicy delicacy contains a lot of sugar, which is why we only recommend small amounts.

What is candied ginger good for? The method of candied ginger is used to preserve the product. Preserving fruit through candied ginger is based on osmosis. ³ While fresh ginger rests in its own juice, it releases liquid and exchanges it for sugar: sugar in, water out. This means that there is no water left in the ginger that could serve as a breeding ground for mold or trigger biochemical reactions - and it remains edible for a long time. ²

recipe

How can you make candied ginger yourself? Candied ginger requires a lot of sugar and time. Here is a possible :

Ingredients: 200 g raw ginger (organic), 300 g sugar ( brown sugar), 1 L water, an organic lemon.

Preparation: Candied ginger should ideally be prepared over several days to ensure the necessary osmosis (see above). If you are short on time, you can find some quick versions online.

On the first day, cut the ginger into small, even cubes or sticks. Young ginger with a thin, tender skin does not need to be peeled. Cover the ginger in a pan of water and bring to the boil, then simmer for around 20 minutes over a reduced heat. Now add 100 g of sugar and cook for another 20 minutes. The ginger-sugar mixture should be left to steep for 12 hours. The next day, bring the mixture to the boil again. Cut the lemon into slices and cook them with another 100 g of sugar. Then cover and leave to steep for a day. On the third day, add the remaining sugar. Bring the ginger syrup to the boil again, stirring constantly, and simmer for around 20 minutes. You can now separate the syrup from the ginger pieces and remove the lemon. Pour the syrup into a bottle; it is suitable as a spice or sweetener, e.g. for teas. Let the candied ginger pieces dry on a rack and store in a clean jar.

Alternatively, you can candy ginger "without sugar " by replacing the refined household sugar with xylitol, erythritol or stevia granules. Take the sweetening power of the sugar substitute into account and sweeten more or less accordingly.

If you want to reduce the sugar content, rice syrup, honey or maple syrup are not good alternatives. Palm sugar is not sugar-free either, although the glycemic index of 41 is slightly lower than that of cane sugar (GI = 67). ³

Vegan recipe for chocolate ginger cookies

Ingredients (for 8 cookies): 50 g maple syrup (or less), 60 g almond butter, a pinch of salt, 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder, 1⁄2 teaspoonvanilla powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 25 g cocoa powder (unsweetened), 30 g almond flour (or self-ground almonds), 2 tablespoons candied ginger (organic).

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Put the maple syrup and almond butter in a bowl and stir until smooth. Add the salt, baking powder, vanilla and starch and mix. Add the cocoa powder and almond flour and mix well. Place the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes. Then divide into eight portions and shape into flat, round discs. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place a piece of the candied ginger in the middle and press firmly. Now bake the vegan cookies for 9 minutes and allow to cool before eating.

Variation: You can also dice the candied ginger as finely as possible and stir it into the dough before refrigerating.

Vegan recipes with candied ginger can be found under the note: " Recipes that have the most of this ingredient ".

Purchasing - Storage

Candied ginger is available in most supermarkets such as Coop, Migros, Denner, Volg, Spar, Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka, Hofer and Billa, mainly in the run-up to Christmas. At Denn's Biomarkt or Alnatura you will definitely find organic quality. Health food stores and Asian shops sell candied ginger all year round, often online too. You can find candied ginger as small cubes, sticks, pieces or slices, packaged in paper or plastic bags or in glass jars.

When buying, look for candied pieces with little or no sugar on the surface (sometimes ginger is also rolled in sugar).

The availability of candied ginger varies depending on the size of the store, catchment area, etc. You can find our recorded food prices for the DA-CH countries above under the ingredient image - and by clicking you can see their development at various suppliers.

Storage tips

Candied ginger pieces should be stored in an airtight container in a dry, dark and cool place.

Ingredients - Nutritional values - Calories

Due to the high sugar content, candied ginger has a relatively high calorie content (257 kcal/100g). Carbohydrates (sugar) make up 63 g/100g. Protein is 0.5 g/100g and fat 0.35 g/100g. ¹

The proportions of valuable ingredients in processed products must always be critically assessed. Here we show what candied ginger still contains in significant quantities after the manufacturing process:

There are 0.73 mg of manganese in 100 g, which corresponds to about 37% of the daily requirement. Preserved coconut milk has a similar amount.

The potassium content is 206 mg/100g and only makes up 10% of the daily requirement. This value is comparable to pomegranate syrup. ¹

The complete ingredients of candied ginger, the coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in our nutrient tables. In the article Nutrients explained you will get a detailed insight into the topic.

Health effects

Is candied ginger healthy? Apart from the high sugar content, candied ginger can be healthy in small quantities. So far, over 160 components of ginger have been isolated and identified (see raw ginger). Various studies have shown that ginger extracts contain a wide range of biologically active components. Among other things, ginger has a preventive effect against obesity, against cancer and has a protective effect on the gastrointestinal tract.

Research has found anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, anti-coagulant, blood sugar regulating, antioxidant, antidiabetic and analgesic properties of ginger. ^{4, 13,14} A Norwegian study of pregnant or breastfeeding women (surveying over 68,000 women) showed that normal amounts of ginger did not increase the risk of stillbirth, premature birth or low birth weight. ¹⁷

Secondary plant substances

Many of the health effects of candied ginger can be attributed to the secondary plant substances it contains. Our article on secondary plant substances provides an overview of the classification of the substance groups, their occurrence in foods and possible effects on humans.

Candied ginger contains the following secondary plant substances:

• Isoprenoids: Monoterpenes (including limonene, citral, geranial, neral, alpha phellandrene, ar-curcumene, α-curcumene, p-cineole [eucalyptol], alpha-terpineol, camphene, beta-myrcene); triterpenes (steroids); Sesquiterpenes (alpha-zingiberene, farnesene, nerolidol) ^4,8,14,15
• Alkaloids: Phenyl alkaloids ¹³
• Polyphenols: hydroxycinnamic acid (ferulic acid); flavonoids: flavonol (quercetin); phenols (gingerdiol, gingerol, shogaol, paradol, zingerone, gingerone A, gingerone B) ^{4,5,6,8,9,15,19,20}
• Other organic compounds : arylalkanones, diarylheptanoids (curcuminoids) ⁸

However, it should be noted that the composition of the secondary plant substances in candied ginger can vary depending on the variety, time of harvest and growing conditions. Therefore, quantities are only of limited use and should only be understood roughly.

How bioactive ingredients change during the candying process is rarely recorded. ¹⁵ Heat-sensitive or water-soluble nutrients are reduced or no longer present compared to fresh ginger. However, studies show that the antioxidant activity of ginger, unlike other antioxidant-active vegetables, is not necessarily lost through cooking. ²²

In the production of candied ginger, blanching for around 10 minutes increases the total phenol content; the effects of steam heating are controversial. ¹⁵ However, at temperatures above 100 degrees, a decrease in 6-gingerol and an increase in 6-shogaol are to be expected. ⁵ In the extraction process of ginger, research has also shown that lower temperatures increase phenols, gingerol and antioxidant activity. On the other hand, processing processes with higher temperatures or acidic solvents favor the shogaol concentrations in the extract. ⁶

Shogaols, the corresponding heating or dehydration products of gingerols, are present only in trace amounts in fresh ginger, but occur in high amounts in thermally treated ginger roots. ⁴ They are said to have stronger bioactive properties than gingerols and have increased antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic effects. ^4,5,6 Data suggest that 6-shogaol plays an important role as a memory-enhancing and antioxidant agent against neurological diseases. ⁵

Ginger can alleviate the symptoms of nausea (during pregnancy, travel, chemotherapy) due to the polyphenols such as shogaol, gingeol zingerone and paradol. ^{9, 19,20}

For the ingredient ginger, raw, you will find more health-related information and phytochemicals.

Dangers - Intolerances - Side Effects

Although Although ginger is generally considered safe, ⁷ higher amounts can cause heartburn, headaches and dizziness in some people. ⁹ In addition, a study on mice showed that increased intake led to a slowing of the central nervous system (CNS depression) and cardiac arrhythmias. ¹⁰

What is the recommended daily dose of ginger? The dosage of ginger must be determined individually, after evaluating the patient's medical history. The quality of the product containing ginger, as well as the quality of the ginger itself and the processing methods can vary greatly. ¹² To avoid gastrointestinal problems, one should not consume too much ginger, as increased intake increases the shedding of epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa. ¹⁰ A general dosage recommendation for the powdered drug (dried ginger rhizome) is 2–4 g per day for adults; ¹⁰ we have not found any recommended consumption amounts for candied ginger in this regard.

Ginger is said to have a blood-thinning effect (or a reduction in platelet aggregation), ^10,14,18 but clinical studies on this are rare. ²¹ With regard to the use of anticoagulant drugs, it remains unclear whether ginger increases the effect or not. ^10,21 The same applies to the effect of ginger extract on blood sugar levels, blood pressure and heart rate (studied on rats). ¹⁰ When using anticoagulant drugs, the consumption of higher doses of ginger should be discussed with the doctor.

Use as a recognized medicinal plant

The ginger rhizome is a recognized medicinal drug. You can find more information under the ingredient ginger, raw.

Folk medicine - natural medicine

What effect does candied ginger have? The medicinal use of ginger to treat colds, vomiting, upset stomachs, chills and coughs has a long tradition. ¹³ We are not aware of any scientific studies on the health effects of candied ginger. Most studies relate primarily to ginger extracts, powder or the raw rhizome.

Ecological footprint - animal welfare

The ecological footprint of candied ginger depends on several factors, including the production method of the fresh ginger, the processing processes, but also packaging and transport. Despite extensive research, we were unable to find any precise information on the emissions of candied ginger. The CO ₂ footprint for raw ginger is 1.85 kg CO ₂ eq/kg, and this value increases accordingly for candied ginger due to additional processing steps. It should be noted that ginger from China or India is often used to make candied ginger, but the processing takes place in other countries. The long and numerous transport routes result in high emissions, which could be reduced, for example, by preparing the ginger yourself. We were unable to determine the amount of water required to make candied ginger.

In conventional agriculture, synthetic pesticides and herbicides are used to combat unwanted insects or plants. These are sometimes found in the harvested product, as a study of various types of vegetables in Nigeria also showed for ginger. ¹⁶ This may also lead to contamination of the processed products that were made from the previously contaminated ginger bulbs. Accordingly, care should be taken to ensure that candied ginger is produced organically.

For detailed explanations of various sustainability indicators (such as ecological footprint, _CO2 footprint, water footprint), see our article: What does the ecological footprint mean?

Worldwide occurrence - cultivation

Ginger has been used in India and China for over 5000 years, which is why it is thought to have originated in East Asia. Today the plant is mainly cultivated in the humid tropics, with India being the largest producer. Ginger has a long cultural history and was an important trading item. More than 2000 years ago, ginger was exported from India to the Roman Empire, where it was particularly valued for its medicinal properties.

Ginger remained a highly sought-after commodity in Europe even after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 13th and 14th centuries. The value of a pound of ginger was equivalent to the cost of a sheep. Marco Polo reported the consumption of candied and honey-preserved ginger in China in the early Middle Ages. ¹⁰ During the Middle Ages, ginger was traded in preserved form, including as an ingredient in sweets. Queen Elizabeth I of England is credited with inventing the gingerbread man, which remains a popular ginger Christmas treat today. ⁷

Cultivation - Harvest

Information on cultivation and harvesting of the rhizome can be found under the ingredient ginger, raw.

Industrial production

To make candied ginger, ginger is dipped several times in syrup with increasing concentration. Optimized process conditions allow sugar absorption, weight gain, color and texture to be regulated. After the syrup bath, the ginger is rolled in powdered sugar in a rotating drum. The ginger is then placed in an air-flow drying system. Various additives are sometimes used to improve the texture or modify the taste. Solutions made from gelatine (not vegan!), starch, hot pectin solutions and temperature have proven to be suitable adhesives or methods for holding the sugar crystals on the ginger. ¹²

Further information

Ginger belongs to the ginger family, which also includes cardamom ( Elettaria cardamomum) and turmeric ( Curcuma longa) count. The part of the ginger that we consume is called the rhizome. The rhizome is the stem of the plant from which the roots and leaves grow. ⁷ Rhizomes are also known as stems, roots or creeping stems. Botanically speaking, they correspond to the stalk or stem, but are underground or just above the surface of the earth. ¹¹

Alternative names

Candied ginger is sometimes also referred to as crystallized ginger. In English it is called 'candied ginger', 'glazed ginger', 'crystallized ginger' or 'ginger candy'. Although the English synonyms are often used for the same product, 'candied ginger' does not necessarily have to be the same as 'crystallized ginger'. Likewise, 'ginger candy' can simply refer to ginger candy. What they all have in common is the combination of ginger with sugar.

The name 'ginger' comes from the Middle English 'gingivere'; the term goes back to the Sanskrit word 'srngaveram', which can be roughly translated as 'horn root'. ⁷