when you cook meals ,you will need it , it's good for beef chicken or lamb,it's traditonal one kind seanonings for chinese people cook meat . it's specially good for soup, it's really delicious after using it . In winter, when you eat such meat soup more,you will feel very warm , so there is a old say in china : it's good to eat more ginger. For some chinese people they keep ginger in vinegar in a bottle , closed bottle for at least one month. One month later, open it ,and eat them with other vegetables fruits and chinese momo.