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Glite Dictionary
stem ginger

stem ginger

6.1
Young ginger kept in syrup for use in cooking and baking
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : jengibre fresco
  • For dessert, I made a cake with stem ginger in syrup, which gave it a deliciously spicy flavor.

Examples

  • The recipe called for chopped stem ginger, which added a sweet and tangy taste to the dish.

  • She enjoys baking cookies with pieces of stem ginger for a unique twist on the traditional recipe.

  • I added extra ground ginger and some chopped stem ginger in syrup, and sprinkled pumpkin seeds on top of some of them (I meant to ice the others, but they kind of got eaten before that happened!).

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How Processed

stem ginger
  • UK
6.1

Surface Forms

stem ginger singular
stem gingers plural

Morphology

stem + ginger

The phrase is compositionally a type/part of ginger, so a learner who knows 'stem' and 'ginger' can infer it refers to a particular form of ginger (i.e., something to do with the plant), giving partial transparency. However, the specific horticultural sense (young rhizomes often preserved in syrup) is not clearly signalled by 'stem' and would likely not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Stem ginger is named for how the plant was sold: small, young ginger pieces picked with their stem still attached and often kept in syrup. That's why stem ginger today means the tender young ginger root 'preserved in syrup' and used in cooking.