Galangal Root

Despite their similar appearances, ginger and galangal are two different spices, differentiated by the way they taste. Galangal is peppery and earthy with hints of mustard. It's got citrusy top notes and a bitter finish. Ginger is spicy but sweet, with a strong lemon aroma and a mellow finish that gently fades.The word galangal, or its variant galanga or archaically galingale, can refer in common usage to the aromatic rhizome of any of four plant species in the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family, namely: Alpinia galanga, also called greater galangal, lengkuas or laos. Alpinia officinarum, or lesser galangal.