 Ginger is believed to be one of the oldest cultivated spices, and unlike most plants, it doesn't grow from seeds. It's only grown by propagating the ginger rhizome, which is part of the reason it's believed to have been cultivated for so long. How long? Well, ginger is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, where the Austronesian people have been using it for about 5,000 years. There are also writings about its use in China, all the way back to about 2,000 BC. But how did this obscure little root become the popular spice we all know and love today? Well, that's what we're talking about right now, on eccentric nature. And now, the history of ginger. Now, ginger root, as we know it, comes from the flowering plant of the same name. It even has a cool scientific name, zingabar official. Sounds exotic and mysterious, no? The word ginger is believed to have come from the ancient Sanskrit zingabara, which means shaped like a horn. Though some say it more likely comes from the Middle English word, gingivari. Either way, it's a member of the same plant family as cardamom and turmeric. And heck, even bananas are in the same biological order. Yeah, I can see the family resemblance. Ginger, the early years. The Austronesians sailed all around the South Pacific, taking ginger as far as Madagascar by the beginning of the Christian era. At this time, it was transported over to the Middle East and eventually Europe, on the old spice trade routes from India. During the Roman era, ginger was very popular, and they even used it for medicines, to spice up their food, and even for sweets. But then the Romans fell, and with it, ginger's popularity. At one point, it was so expensive that one pound of ginger cost the same as one live sheep. Yeah, I do love ginger, but I might have partialed the old Annabelle here. She's a real trooper, you know? Ginger in the Middle Ages. Luckily, in trumpet explorer, Marco Polo came along. Marco! Anyone else play this, or am I the only one? Anyway, Marco Polo brought ginger back to the masses in the Middle Ages, by establishing brand new trade routes with the Far East. And along with black pepper and cinnamon, it became one of the most traded spices of the 13th and 14th centuries. During this time, the upper crust were known to over-indulge while eating, and so ginger tea and biscuits were often served to help balance their ailing tummies by relieving indigestion. Gingerbread Man Origins. Now the prevalent myth is that Queen Elizabeth I is responsible for the creation of the gingerbread man, as she would present visiting dignitaries a gingerbread man baked in their likeness to surprise them. Yeah, I don't entirely buy this. More likely, she asked for something super cool to give these visiting dignitaries, and some poor unsung baker working for the queen actually invented the gingerbread man. That's my theory anyways. What do you think? Was it the baker or the queen? Let me know in the comments down below. Ginger and the New World. Spanish explorers brought ginger along with them to the Caribbean islands, where ginger felt right at home in the tropical wonderland, and a massive ginger crop ended up being established in Jamaica. From there, ginger made its way to the rest of North and South America with relative ease. Ginger and Prohibition. Ginger is just a fine outstanding spice that everybody loves. Well, isn't that just ginger peachy? Not so fast. You see, in the 1860s, there was a medicinal product being sold known as Jamaica Ginger, which did in fact have ginger in it, and it was used for headaches, upper respiratory infections, menstrual disorder, and intestinal gas. But by the 1920s, it ended up being used for a much more nefarious purpose. You see, with prohibition and full swing, people still needed a way to get their beloved alcohol. And as Jamaica Ginger is 70 to 80% ethanol alcohol and averaged around 140 proof, well, it's no surprise people started making it their drink of choice. It was also at this time that Jamaica Ginger inherited the slang name Jake. Because the authorities found out about its darker uses, the US government mandated that a certain percentage of solid matter, like chunks of ginger root, had to be found in any Jamaican ginger products. And what this did was make it taste really bitter and nasty. But hard drinkers being hard drinkers, this didn't stop them. Bootlegers of Jamaica Ginger started using other products like molasses and castor oil to make the Jake taste better. And so Jake continued to be used by lots of different people, but then the price of castor oil went up, and so other methods of making Jamaican ginger were sought out. Enter Harry Grossman and Max Reisman, who ran the not very legitimate Hub Products Corporation. They went searching for a different formula for Jamaican ginger, but their mistake was getting rid of the ethylene and diethylene glycol in Jamaican ginger. Trust me, it makes a difference. In favor of triothalcressal phosphate, otherwise known as TOCP, and the MIT professor they duped into doing this research told them it was non-toxic. That doesn't sound too bad. Well, TOCP is the same stuff that's now used in paint finishers and lacquers. Oh yeah, this isn't gonna end well. And as this product went on the market, people mysteriously begin to have problems using their hands or feet. In all, about 50,000 people were struck with this paralysis, which became known as Jake paralysis, or more specifically, Jake walk, Jake leg, or Jake foot. And this is because the paralysis caused in the feet by this particular type of Jake made people walk in a very peculiar manner. Since they couldn't control their toes, they would raise their feet a little bit higher, causing them to walk in a distinct toe-heel manner that caused a tap-click, tapety-click sound as they walked. So, the bad news, you can't control your feet or hands properly. On the bright side, you can still do a mean tap dance. Sorry. Luckily, prohibition didn't last much longer after this problem started, and Jake paralysis died out fairly quickly, but it does make for a distinctly dark chapter in Ginger's history. Ginger in Modern Times These days, Ginger is a fine, upstanding citizen of the spice world. It is one of the most produced spices in the world with India leading the way, and by a large margin. India actually produces about twice as much ginger as its closest rivals China and Nigeria. There are also a variety of fun ginger festivals across the world, including the Ginger and Spice Festival located in Market Drayton in England. This town also lays claim to being the home of gingerbread, and I suppose it makes sense. As it's home to one of the oldest producers of gingerbread, Billington's Gingerbread, which has been running since 1817. It's also home to one of the biggest producers of gingerbread in the world, the original Biscuit Bakers, who make over 150 tons of gingerbread every year. Another amazing ginger festival is the Dorada Matsuri, also referred to as the Never-Ending Festival. Once upon a time, Yui Shosezu was a devious military strategist who led an uprising against the Tokugawa Shogunate, and one of his plots was to poison the Tamagawa Aqueduct in order to take out the village of Ido. However, Shosezu was to be thwarted by the most unlikely of sources, the Almighty Ginger! You see, the people of Ido consistently washed ginger in the waters of the Tamagawa Aqueduct, and thanks to its amazing health qualities, the ginger content in the water stopped that poison in its tracks. Or at least that's how the story goes. The Shogunate Suri, or ginger root festivals that take place in Japan, are also fun because stall holders will shout things like, Ginger protects against evils! If you eat ginger, you'll be free from colds! Which is indeed a recognized benefit of ginger root. The protection of colds, not from evil. Maybe it does that too. Who knows? You'll have to watch the mythology of ginger video to find out. Have you ever been to a ginger festival? Let me know in the comments down below. If you want to learn more about ginger, then watch the benefits of ginger tea next, or for more herbal history, then watch the history of dandelions next. Please be kind, take care of each other, and go on out there and have a spicy ginger-filled day!