Reference point
Sliced fresh galangal root.
Do this before you read on. An entry only works when you have just smelled the thing.
Camphor and pine rising above a ginger base. Much sharper and airier than ginger, almost breezy.
This entry bridges the spicy family and the medicinal family. It is useful for explaining why the borders between scent families are never sharp. Galangal has enough traits to belong to both. Where to place it is the classifier’s decision, not a fact of nature.
Compared with ginger, galangal lacks the sweetness and has extra coolness. It is the best contrasting pair in the spicy family, because the two roots look so alike that buyers often confuse them.
How to smell it
Slice fresh galangal and smell the cut face. Straight afterwards slice ginger and smell. Alternate two or three times. You will notice that what they share is the root base, and what differs is the camphor layer only galangal has.
Why this one is hard
Because the two roots look alike, so the brain has already decided they must smell alike. It is a case of sight interfering with smell, and the cure is to close your eyes when you smell.
Don’t confuse with
This entry
Galangal
Spicy family
Ginger is warm and soapy; galangal has camphor and pine rising above it.
Scientific note
Galangal contains methyl cinnamate, an aromatic ester absent from ginger although the two plants belong to the same family. It gives galangal its sweet floral note, and it also occurs in Thai basil and some orchids. Three unrelated sources, one molecule.
In Vietnamese life
Galangal is an essential spice in northern dog-meat dishes, in giả cầy — pork cooked the same way — and in some braised fish — always paired with something strong-smelling that needs balancing. Its role in Vietnamese cooking is that of a counterweight, not the main aroma.