Crystallised ginger is fresh ginger root preserved by steeping it in strong sugar solution until the rhizome is saturated with sugar, then drying it and coating it in granulated sugar. The long soak draws water out of the ginger while sugar moves in, dropping the water activity so the pieces keep without refrigeration, and the final sugar crust gives each chunk a sweet, sparkling exterior. Biting through reveals the fibrous, pungent centre: the heat of the gingerols survives the process, so the sweet coating gives way to a warm, spicy bite. It is used in baking — chopped into cakes, biscuits, and gingerbread — eaten as a confection in its own right, and valued as a traditional settler for the stomach. The product is a classic example of sugar as both preservative and flavour carrier.