For the rhizome-bearing plant sometimes known as "galingale", see Cyperus longus.
Kaempferia galangaLesser galangal (Alpinia officinarum)Galangal rhizome ready to be prepared for cooking
Galangal (/ˈɡæləŋˌɡæl/[1]) 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 of any of four plant species in the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family, namely:
Alpinia galanga, also called greater galangal, lengkuas, Siamese ginger or laos
The term galingale is sometimes also used for the rhizome of the unrelated sweet cyperus (Cyperus longus), traditionally used as a folk medicine in Europe.
Various galangal rhizomes are used in traditional Southeast Asian cuisine, such as Khmerkroeung (Cambodian paste), Thai and Laotom yum and tom kha gai soups, Vietnamese Huế cuisine (tré) and throughout Indonesian cuisine, as in soto and opor. Polish Żołądkowa Gorzka vodka is flavoured with galangal. While all species of galangal are closely related to common ginger, each is unique in its own right. Due to their unique taste and 'hotness' profiles, the individual varieties are usually distinguished from ginger, and from each other, in traditional Asian dishes. The taste of galangal has been variously described as "flowery", "like ginger with cardamom" and "like peppery cinnamon".[2] Lesser galangal was popular in European medieval cooking.[2]
Galangals are commonly available in Asian markets in a variety of forms: as whole fresh rhizomes; dried and sliced; and powdered.
Medical
In ethnobotany, galangal has been used for its purported merits in promoting digestion and alleviating respiratory diseases and stomach problems. Specific medical virtues have been attributed to each galangal variety.[3][4]
