Ginger

Ginger is usually used as a spice in cuisines throughout the world. Though commonly referred to as a root, it is really the rhizome of the monocotyledonous perennial plant Zingiber officinale.
Originating in southern China, cultivation of ginger spread to India, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean.Ginger contains up to 3% of an essential oil that causes the fragrance of the spice. The main constituents are sesquiterpenoids with (-)-zingiberene as the main component. Lesser amounts of other sesquiterpenoids and a small monoterpenoid fraction have also been identified.
The pungent taste of ginger is due to nonvolatile phenylpropanoids (particularly gingerol and zingerone) and diarylheptanoids (gingeroles and shoagoles); the latter are more pungent and form from the former when ginger is dried. With a specific procedure is used for cooking, where ginger root acquires a soda form and transforms gingerol into zingerone, which is less pungent and has a spicy-sweet aroma.