Boesenbergia rotunda

Fingerroot
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Zingiberaceae
Genus:	Boesenbergia
Species:	B. rotunda
Binomial name
Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. A.

Fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotunda), also known as Chinese ginger, is a medicinal and culinary herb from China and Southeast Asia. In English, the root has traditionally been called Fingerroot, because the shape of the rhizome resembles that of fingers growing out of a center piece.

Uses

Fingerroot is known as temu kunci in Indonesian. It is widely used in Javanese cuisine in Indonesia.

In Thai cooking it is called krachai (Thai: กระชาย). It is used in some kroeung pastes of Cambodian cuisine and is known as k'cheay (Khmer: ខ្ជាយ). In the west it is usually found pickled or frozen. It is sometimes confused with Lesser galangal (Alpinia officinarum), which is also in the family Zingiberaceae. In Manipuri, it is called Yai-macha .

Synonym

Synonyms include Boesenbergia pandurata and Kaempferia pandurata.

External links

• Gernot Katzer's spice dictionary - Fingerroot
• "Boesenbergia rotunda". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=506504.