A tropical plant related to ginger, used as a spice in Southeast Asian cooking, with a pungent, warm flavor.
From Arabic 'khalanja' or Sanskrit 'kulanja,' borrowed into English via Malay and Portuguese traders in the 16th century. The plant was native to Southeast Asia and trade routes brought both the plant and its name westward.
Galanga is like ginger's spicier, more complex cousin, and it's been used in Asian medicine for thousands of years to settle stomachs and reduce inflammation—medieval European doctors were obsessed with it and called it 'galingale.'
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