Ginger has been a traditional remedy for thousands of years, used to treat various stomach ailments from motion or morning sickness to an upset stomach, gas, colic, nausea, and even osteoarthritis.
Spicy, yet sometimes sweet, ginger is versatile for use in bar mixes, beer, confections, muffins, cookies, tea — and is an essential in Asian meals. It is available in a variety of forms – powdered, fresh roots, dried, crystallized, and pickled.
Lately, I’ve been leaning towards using only fresh spices for all my kitchen needs. When it comes to ginger, I’ve been grating the roots for so much more than my Asian recipes. And when I need fresh ginger, I reach for one of the various kitchen tools to help me grate ginger for baking, my weekend mixology attempts, and daily tea-making.
Sure these traditional graters work, but it’s their aesthetics that drive me to keep them hidden in a drawer waiting to be dug out when needed. Because I’m using more fresh ginger, I’ve been searching for something that is more counter-worthy, adding not only style to the kitchen, but on-hand convenience.
And that’s where Alessi‘s Boga swims into the story.
Alessi’s Boga is a new addition to the company’s celebrated Objets-Bijoux series, which a collection of small, functional objects with great form.
Aside from its ability to grate ginger, I love it’s style. This little object, while sitting on the counter awaiting use, has an eye-catching design which adds personality to my kitchen, inspiring me to use it.
As explained by the company:
“Inspired by a trip to Japan’s Kappabashi-dori, a Tokyo street lined with stores for kitchen utensils, Valerio Sommella has designed the ginger grater, Boga. The specific functions of the many items he saw in Japan fascinated Sommella, who sought to design a similar tool with personal influences. This grater’s shape is reminiscent of the slim body of the Boga fish, which Sommella remembers catching as a child, “silver-bodied with a big eye and never any longer than a hand.” The result is a simple and refined object for grating ginger roots, an essential ingredient in many Asian cuisines. “
Add a little style to your kitchen with Alessi. Check out Alessi’s website where you’ll find a wide collection of functional and impeccably designed kitchen tools and lifestyle accessories.
