Rhizomes are neither true roots, tubers, nor bulbs in the world of food. Ginger and turmeric are rhizomes.
A rhizome is a modified stem that grows horizontally underground or along the soil surface. Unlike roots, rhizomes have nodes and internodes, and they can produce shoots and roots. This is why you can often find multiple growth points on a piece of ginger or turmeric, the nodes and internodes allow plants like ginger and turmeric to spread and form new plants.
So, while they may look like roots, they are actually specialized stems that help these plants store energy and reproduce.
Gemini AI, a digital mind and language model, offered this explanation.
