This post is dedicated, again, to Miss Leslie's recipe for herb candies since I finally managed a version with ginger-root. My conclusion after mixing the decoction with sugar and boiling to 300F/150C is that herb candy-making is best left to professionals. Why? Because they use highly concentrated ingredients whose flavor is actually enhanced after the process of candy-making, as opposed to homemade infusions, decoctions & other caffeine-free beverages taht lose much of their essence when cooked at high temperature. However, the sharpness of ginger will not disappear entirely if your concoction is thick -as Miss Leslie suggests.
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| The teaching Confucius. Portrait by Wu Daozi, 685-758, Tang Dynasty. |
Ginger, this superfood, was first mentioned in the Analects of Confucius, who advised eating this spice on a regular basis. It was introduced to Europe by the Arabs but was already known to Greek and Roman naturalists. During the Middle Ages, it was considered a luxury, as were other exotic spices. Powdered ginger was also the basis of gingerbread although some variations could be made without. Candied ginger is popular, especially in Asian cuisines, but has nothing to do with the recipe shared in this post. (If you look up 'ginger candy' on the Internet, you will find recipes for candied ginger and nothing else.)
Apparently, ginger is not a herb, it's a spice widely used in traditional Chinese medicine as well, but in order to make the candy Miss Leslie said it was possible to make using decoctions, I needed to use a root, and ginger seemed the perfect choice. Adding honey is not essential but they do pair very well -ginger and honey, ginger and lemon, or all of them- especially in homemade beverages against the cold.
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