What is the difference between white and pink ginger?
Some sushi places serve white ginger flakes with their food, while others serve pink colored ginger. There doesn't seem to be any detectable taste difference that I've found. So, what is the difference between the two other than just color, and, why serve one over the other?
Best Answer
Although white ginger and red (or pink) ginger do exist, the different colors in sushi ginger are from a dye. The color in white sushi ginger comes from the pickling process and the red/pink color in ink sushi ginger comes from an artificial dye (usually E124 -cochineal red- or in other brands beet extract). The generic name for sushi ginger is gari and here's the Wikipedia page.
White gari/sushi ginger on the left and pink gari/sushi ginger on the right.
Pictures about "What is the difference between white and pink ginger?"
Quick Answer about "What is the difference between white and pink ginger?"
The color in white sushi gingerIs real ginger pink or white?
The natural coloring of fully-developed ginger is off-white or beige \u2013 any other hue means that food coloring was added. The one exception is if the root, or rhizome, was harvested at an earlier stage. Baby ginger is cream-colored and exhibits a bright pink at the tips from which its green stems arise.What is pink ginger good for?
It's been used to aid digestion, reduce nausea, and help fight the flu and common cold, to name a few of its purposes. The unique fragrance and flavor of ginger come from its natural oils, the most important of which is gingerol.What does white ginger taste like?
It is very hot raw, but upon cooking most of the heat dissipates, leaving a wonderful peppery flavor and a little heat. Galangal adds a zingy, hearty spiciness to dishes and it's pine-like aroma is mouth watering. Crush galangal, shallots, garlic and chiles into a paste and use to flavor seafood, meat or vegetables.Why is fresh ginger pink?
The new ginger season is over\u2026. but let me tell you this story before getting too old. Anthocyanin, color pigment in new ginger reacts with vinegar in the pickling liquid and turns the sliced ginger to petty pink color. No synthetic food coloring is involved.How to Make Pickled Ginger - Gari
More answers regarding what is the difference between white and pink ginger?
Answer 2
The bright pink ginger is pink because of food coloring.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/599069
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/514063793/Pickled_Sushi_Ginger.html?s=p
Answer 3
Salt and acids (in the case of pickled ginger, vinegar and citric acid) turn ginger pink during the pickling process naturally. However, this hue will eventually fade to pale yellow and then brown in less than 3 months as the ginger gets exposed to UV light and heat. This is why food coloring is added to the pink variety. As for the yellow/white pickled ginger, sodium metabisuphite must be added to stop the product from turning brown. This sulphite is an allergen and must be accordingly labeled. If you want to preserve the natural pinkish hue of the pickled ginger, keep the product refrigerated at 2 degrees Celsius. Away from UV light and heat, the color will remain for up to 1 year.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karolina Grabowska, Arina Krasnikova, Karolina Grabowska, Arina Krasnikova