[Fresh ginger rhizome - Wikipedia (Photograph: Frank C. Müller, Baden-Baden) - CC BY-SA 3.0]
In June, juicy shoots of the new ginger arrive in shops. Aid to digestion and antioxidant in the hot summer months (but eaten all year round).
[Shoga harvest in Kochi Pref. - Own photo]
Uses:
- Fude-shoga, longer slender stalks of shoga are marinated in sweetened vinegar and served with grilled fish to refresh the mouth.
- Gari is the sushi term for the fresh shoga that is eaten between different types of sushi to cleanse the palate (never on sushi or in the same bite!). It has been marinated in sweetened vinegar.
[Gari, pickled ginger - Wikipedia (Photo taken by Dowhile) - Public Domain]
- Ground hine-shoga is used as a condiment for somen noodles. It is also cooked with fish to delete the fishy smell.
- Beni-shoga is a type of pickle: shoga cut into thin strips, colored red with the help of red shiso leaves and pickled in umezu. Served with okonomiyaki, yakisoba, gyudon etc.
- Shoga gohan is rice flavored with shoga.