Benifit* (for Benefit*)

Beni is the Japanese name of a color commonly called "carthamin" or "safflower red" in English. As if ginger isn't spicy enough already, the pickled form of the root shown to the right is dyed hot pink and labeled beni shōga. This dish is not the same thing as gari, the pickled ginger meant to cleanse the palate between sushi servings and help cool down your mouth after eating wasabi—that pretty, green, unbelievably hot horseradish paste traditionally served with sushi as well. Ginger has many purported health benefits and can aid in a wide variety of conditions, from morning sickness to radiation exposure. No matter what form it comes in, a little bit of ginger goes a long way, so try and fit some in the next time you're out eating Japanese. There were 12 hits in OhioLINK on Benifit* (for benefit) and 317 in WorldCat.

(Pickled ginger, from Wikimedia Commons.)

Carol Reid