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© Frances Michaels
COMMON NAMES: Thai ginger, laos, greater galangal, galingale, kha BOTANICAL NAME: Alpinia galangal FAMILY: Zingiberaceae, the ginger family
PLANT DESCRIPTION Galangal’s native habitat is China (Hainan Island). The name Galangal is derived from the Arabic Khalanjan, perhaps a perversion of a Chinese word meaning 'mild ginger.' It is a perennial herb, between one and two metres in height, depending on variety. The leaves are 25-35 cm long, rather narrow blades. The flowers are borne at the top of the plant and are small, white and streaked with deep-red veining. The rhizome resembles ginger in shape but it is much smaller. Some varieties have a dark reddish-brown skin and the interior is nearly white. The rhizomes are tough and difficult to break. It prefers rich, moist soil in a protected, shady position and is drought and frost tender. In a permaculture system it is a useful understorey plant.
USES The root has been used in Europe as a spice for over a thousand years, it was probably been introduced by Arabian or Greek physicians. The rhizomes have a spicy aroma and a pungent taste somewhere between pepper and ginger, it is often cooked with lemon grass. The rhizomes are used fresh and dried to flavour curries, soup, meat and fish. It is also used in Russia for flavouring vinegar and the liqueur 'nastoika'. The leaves and young shoots are also edible. In India the oil of galangal is valued in perfumery.
PLANTING Galangal can be planted on ridges, usually about 30 cm apart and with 15-23 cm between plants. The crop is planted by setts (small rhizomes) with one or two buds. Plant in spring, after all danger of frost is past and the soil has warmed up at a depth of 5-10 cm.
HARVEST Rhizomes are harvested when the leaves have yellowed or died. It is possible for the home gardener to just dig carefully at the side of a clump and remove rhizomes as needed rather than harvesting the whole clump.
Available from Green Harvest: July to September 2009
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GALANGAL
GROWING INFORMATION