Gari (ginger)

When traditionally prepared, gari typically has a pale yellow to slightly pink hue from the pickling process. Only very young ginger will develop the slight pink tint naturally. Many brands of commercially produced gari are colored pink, artificially or naturally, often by using E124, beet juice or red shiso (perilla leaves), either to intensify the existing pink color or because the ginger used was too mature to turn pink upon pickling.