Ingredients In Pickled Ginger

Some delicacies in one country do not translate well in another country. One from Japan does translate in practically any country: pickled ginger. It is common to serve it with sushi or as a garnish option for vegetable and meat dishes. Diners use pickled ginger to cleanse the palate when eating, as ginger enlivens the taste buds.
Recipes for pickled ginger contain similar ingredients with a few variations in the vinegar mixture.

Ginger

Pickled ginger starts off with ginger root. Ginger root, which appears shriveled, is available in the produce section of grocery stores. Ginger is a strong and somewhat bitter root. Its astringent flavor carries quite a bite and many individuals find it hot to the taste buds.
Ginger is a blood cleanser and good for the circulation due to its ability to relax the blood vessels and thin the blood.
Preparing the ginger root involves rinsing it in cool water, removing any dirt, before removing the skin. You then slice it into thin pieces using either a sharp knife, mandolin slicer or potato peeler.

Vinegar and Water

Vinegar is a key element in pickling. Pickling is cooking a root or vegetable without necessarily using heat. Along the same lines as smoking, which uses salt, vinegar breaks down the internal structure of whatever vegetable it's pickling. Vinegar's astringent flavor works well in cooking and it softens the ginger root and cools and sweetens its traditionally hot flavor.
Pickling ginger normally uses rice vinegar. Rice vinegar is flavorful without tasting too much like vinegar, like white or apple cider vinegar does.
The addition of water to the pickling ingredients mixes them all together, forming a thin liquid to place the ginger in. When adding water to the mixture, it is best to use pure filtered water.

Sugar, Salt and Soy

A little pure white sugar gives a little sweetness to the pickled ginger.
Pickling salt is specifically designed for pickling processes. It dissolves quickly and easy and is colorless. Only a small amount is necessary.
Since pickled ginger often accompanies Japanese-style dishes, soy sauce is a nice addition to the pickling liquid. Soy sauce adds a little bit of saltiness to the ginger root and brings out the ginger's natural flavor.