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What is galantine?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

May 9, 2003

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When John Gerard originally wrote The Herbal in 1597 he wrote of four galingales (Cyperus longus and other species). Thomas Johnson added two more 'galingale' sedges (Cyperus species) and the "true galingales, greater and lesser" in 1633.

Johnson called the first true galingale, Galanga major, "The great Galingale, whose root onely is in use, and brought to us from Java in the East Indies...." The second, he called Galanga minor, "The lesser growing in China, and commonly in shops
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called Galingale, without any additions...." Johnson added illustrations of the dried roots of the "true galingales"; the plants themselves were unknown in Europe.

The greater galingale or galangale is now known as Alpinia galanga; the lesser galingale referred to Kaempferia galanga. The "true galingales" are gingers and have little in common with the sedges growing in Europe except that the rhizomes or roots of both were aromatic and/or considered medicinal.

The 1889 Century Unabridged Dictionary offers these variations--galingale, galangale, or galangal and gives similar words in most Northern European languages dating back to the Anglo-Saxon gallengar and Old Dutch galiguen. These names appear to have come from the Latin, galanga and originally from the Arabic and Persian traders of the old silk routes--khalanjan and khawalinjan, respectively.

The Arabic and Persian names for the ginger are believed from the Chinese, Kao liang-kiang meaning the mild ginger from Kao. The Dictionary adds "This word [galangal] is interesting as being in English the oldest word, in Anglo-Saxon, the only word of Chinese origin, except [for the word] silk....the dried rhizome brought from China used in medicine...formerly used as a seasoning...and one of the ingredients of [and hence the name] galantine."

Earthcare has posted a photograph of the greater galingale, Alpinia galanga, taken by Hans Erkin. To view this beautiful ginger, click on the link:

http://www.earthcare.com.au/slides/alpinia.htm

Mast Arboretum of the Stephen F. Austin State University has a page of Kaempferia species including the lesser galingale. Kaempferia are now known as the peacock gingers. To view the page, click on the link:

http://arboretum.sfasu.edu/gaylilies/kaempferia/index.htm

Chef2Chef has a recipe for Galantine of Capon. Galantines are generally thought of as French cuisine today, but may well be one of the longest continuing gourmet traditions in Western civilization dating back to the time of Chaucer (1300s) and probably much earlier. The recipe calls for ginger root (Zingiber officinale), but would have used Kaempferia galanga long ago. To read the recipe, click on the link:

http://recipes.chef2chef.net/recipe-archive/25/139204.shtml

killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

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