View source for Galangal

{{short description|Member of the ginger family}}
{{for|the rhizome-bearing plant sometimes known as "galingale"|Cyperus longus}}
{{lead too short|date=February 2025}}
[[File:Galangal.web.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Kaempferia galanga'']]
[[File:Koeh-156.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Lesser galangal (''Alpinia officinarum'')]]
[[File:Galangal ready for preparation.png|thumb|right|300px|Galangal rhizome ready to be prepared for cooking]]

'''Galangal''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|æ|l|ə|ŋ|ˌ|ɡ|æ|l}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia=[[Oxford English Dictionary]] |edition=Third |title=galangal |url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/76220 |access-date=19 December 2018| date=November 2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>) is a [[rhizome]] of plants in the ginger family [[Zingiberaceae]], with culinary and medicinal uses originating in Indonesia.<ref name=":0" />  It is one of four species in the genus ''[[Alpinia]]'', and is known for its pungent, aromatic flavor. 

[[Greater galangal]]  (''Alpinia galanga'') is most commonly used, and is similar to [[ginger]] and [[turmeric]]. It is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Lesser galangal (''Alpinia officinarum'') and other types are also used, though less frequently. In traditional medicine, galangal is used to treat various ailments. It is a common ingredient in Indonesian, Khmer, Lao, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, and is also used in some traditional Chinese medicine.

==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''
* ''[[Alpinia officinarum]]'', or ''lesser galangal''
* ''[[Boesenbergia rotunda]]'', also called ''Chinese ginger'' or ''fingerroot''
* ''[[Kaempferia galanga]]'', also called ''kencur'', ''black galangal'' or ''sand ginger''

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.

== Uses ==
=== Culinary ===
{{Cookbook|Galangal}}
Various galangal rhizomes are used in traditional [[Southeast Asian cuisine]], such as [[Khmer cuisine|Khmer]] [[kroeung]] (Cambodian paste), [[Thai cuisine|Thai]] and [[Lao cuisine|Lao]] [[tom yum]] and [[tom kha gai]] soups, Vietnamese [[Huế]] cuisine (tré) and throughout [[Indonesian cuisine]], as in [[Soto (food)|soto]] and [[opor]]. Polish [[Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka|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".<ref name=":0" /> Lesser galangal was popular in European medieval cooking.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Medicinal Spices Exhibit - UCLA Biomedical Library: History & Special Collections: Galangal |url=https://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm?displayID=29 |access-date=28 August 2024 |website=Medicinal Spices Exhibit - UCLA Biomedical Library: History & Special Collections}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.healthyhildegard.com/what-is-galangal/|title=What is Galangal? Your Guide to the Spice of Life|date=February 16, 2016|website=Healthy Hildegard}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.keittotaito.com/keittosanasto.html|title=Keittosanasto: Keittotaito – ruoanvalmistuksen opas|website=www.keittotaito.com|language=fi}}</ref>

==References==
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{{Herbs & spices}}

[[Category:Medicinal plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Zingiberaceae]]
[[Category:Spices]]
[[Category:Thai cuisine]]
[[Category:Lao cuisine]]
[[Category:Vietnamese cuisine]]
[[Category:Indonesian cuisine]]
[[Category:Plant common names]]

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