Mughal Dynasty writes on the history of ginger in Indian Cuisine

June 15, 2023

Ginger is an ingredient that is, like garlic, used in almost every curry imaginable since its first recorded use in cooking 4000 years ago. Ginger appears often in historical accounts of Indian cooking; for instance, the Delhi Sultante which ruled over medieval India from the 13th to 16th Century used it often and practically all meat in Emperor Akbar’s 16th century court was prepared with it. Rice with a piece of boiled ginger was also a common meal eaten by the poor during the Mughal Dynasty which lasted until the 19th Century.

Ginger does have many uses outside of curries, for example, a common home remedy for colds is ginger boiled in milk and sugar. In south India ginger is eaten at the beginning of a meal in order to stimulate digestion and, in other regions, at the end of a heavy dinner. Spicing curd (or yogurt) with ginger is extremely popular and it is often used to flavour fruit juice; this includes the sweet (mangos, pomegranate, and dates) and sour variety (limes or tamarind).