Traditions with ginger
Ginger, the knobbly root of a tropical plant, has been used for cooking and tea for more than two thousand years, in Asia first, and then across the world.
Ginger, the knobbly root of a tropical plant, has been used for cooking and tea for more than two thousand years, in Asia first, and then across the world. Fresh, dried, pickled or candied, it appears in Chinese stir-fries, Indian chai, Japanese sushi, Jamaican cake and the gingerbread of Europe. In many cultures, it is a food of warmth, comfort and the sick-room by tradition. These pages describe where it is used and what it stands for.
Where it is used
In China, ginger is cooked with fish and chicken, and it is the main flavour in postpartum soups. In India, it is in masala chai, curry pastes and pickles. In Japan, pickled pink ginger, gari, is eaten with sushi, and in Jamaica ginger beer and ginger cake are made for Christmas. In Germany, Lebkuchen are made at the Christmas market, and in Britain, gingerbread men are baked for children.
What it means
In Chinese tradition, a month of rest after childbirth includes ginger, and in Indian homes, ginger tea is a first offering to a visitor in winter. Gingerbread houses and figures are festive gifts in Europe, with a history in medieval fairs. By tradition, ginger is warming, and families pass down remedies, which are described here as tradition, not as medical advice.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Ginger (spice). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇨🇳 China and 5 morePostpartum confinement
A period of rest, nourishment, and seclusion for mothers after giving birth.Rite of passage
🇩🇪 Nuremberg, Germany and 5 moreChristmas marketWeihnachtsmarkt
A seasonal street market held during Advent in German-speaking regions and beyond, featuring stalls, food, and crafts.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇨🇳 Shanghai, China and 1 moreJiaozi餃子
Crescent Chinese dumplings filled with meat or vegetables, eaten for fortune and feastsTable custom · Breakfast
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreTwelfth Night
The closing evening of the Christmas season, kept with cake, carols and wassailSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreGawai DayakAri Gawai
An annual harvest and thanksgiving festival of the Dayak peoples in BorneoSeasonal
🇨🇳 Suzhou, China and 3 moreDongzhi冬至
A midwinter festival celebrating the return of light with family feasts and dumplingsSeasonal · Dinner
🇲🇲 Yangon, Myanmar and 1 moreShinbyuရှင်ပြု
A Burmese Buddhist rite in which a boy goes forth as a novice monk, often at New YearRite of passage
🇵🇾 Paraguay and 3 moreTereré
Paraguay's cold yerba mate drink, passed around in one cup with a metal strawTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇮🇳 IndiaSadyaസദ്യ
A vegetarian feast from Kerala, served on a banana leaf at Onam, Vishu and weddingsTable custom · Lunch
🇳🇴 NorwayJul
An eight-week Norwegian midwinter season of feasts, family gatherings, and gift-givingSeasonal · Lunch
🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaZiemassvētki
Latvia's midwinter festival of solstice customs, mumming and tree decorationSeasonal
🇸🇪 Sweden and 2 moreGlögg
A spiced, warm winter wine served across Nordic countries around ChristmasTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇻🇳 Hanoi, Vietnam and 5 morePhophở
A Vietnamese noodle soup of broth and rice noodles, served hot with beef or chicken.Table custom · Breakfast
🇨🇳 Suzhou, China and 4 moreDongzhi Festival冬至
A winter solstice festival of family reunions, ancestor rites and sweet rice ballsSeasonal · Dinner
🇨🇳 ChinaChinese herbology中藥學
The traditional Chinese system of preparing and prescribing herbal and natural remediesCraft
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Dongzhi Festival: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sadya: Augustus Binu / facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chinese herbology: Vberger, Public domain, source
- Jiaozi: Bioniclepluslotr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gawai Dayak: Zahirulnukman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Glögg: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dongzhi: N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Postpartum confinement: Unknown, Public domain, source
- Shinbyu: Lionslayer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Twelfth Night: Hablot Knight Browne: scanned by Steven J Plunkett, Public domain, source
- Christmas market: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pho: Phương Huy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tereré: Genialnico, CC BY-SA 4.0, source