Whether it’s chai, curry or chutney, Indians have always had a soft spot for ginger. But of late, a cousin of Indian ginger has been making its way onto the Indian palate. Served as paper-thin folded strips, this traditional Japanese palate cleanser is sweet and sour, and distinctly pink. And it is riding an unprecedented sushi boom, as India takes to yet another global dish.
The growing appetite among Indians for sushi has driven a sharp increase in imports of Gari, or sushi ginger, underscoring how Japanese cuisine has expanded beyond premium restaurants into the mainstream. This pickled ginger, traditionally served with sushi, is eaten between different pieces to clean the taste buds.
India’s imports of sushi ginger rose to 540.82 tonnes in FY26 from 128.4 tonnes in FY21, a more than fourfold increase over five years, according to trade data. In value terms, imports surged sevenfold, from ₹1.65 crore to ₹11.49 crore over the period.
“The rise is directly proportional to the increase in the number of Japanese restaurants. Moreover, sushi is no longer a luxury delight or a complicated food. It's a go-to comfort food in many cases,” said Ankur Sahni, general manager of Kofuku, a restaurant serving authentic Japanese cuisine in Delhi.
Gari, being an integral part of a sushi meal, sees a rise in demand in tandem with the popularity of the latter, Sahni added.
Sushi celebrates freshness and precision, with vinegared rice making the canvas for seafood, vegetables and delicate toppings, and is typically accompanied by soy sauce and wasabi, apart from Gari.
The dish, which was once confined to luxury hotels in the metros, is now widely available at shopping malls, neighbourhood restaurants and on food delivery platforms across cities. Growing awareness among younger consumers and their willingness to experiment with global cuisines have fuelled demand.
The cost of imported sushi ginger ranges from ₹600 to ₹900 per kg, according to Sahni.
Chef’s take
“The popularity of Gari… in India has increased noticeably over the last decade. Its growth is closely tied to the expansion of Japanese cuisine and premium Asian dining,” said Kunal Kapur, a celebrity chef, restaurateur and long-time judge on MasterChef India. “Every sushi order includes Gari, making it the first exposure for many Indian consumers.”
According to chefs, Indian consumers are already familiar with ginger, widely used in Indian cuisine from chai and curries to pickles and chutneys. The sweet-sour profile of Gari is, therefore, relatively easy for Indian palates to accept.
Consumers also appreciate Gari for its intended purpose—refreshing the palate between different sushi pieces, rather than a garnish. With the popularity of sushi, supermarkets increasingly stock retail jars of sushi ginger and importers bring in multiple brands.
Kapur noted that imported, ready-to-use Gari is the most common sourcing method. Most casual and mid-market Japanese restaurants purchase commercially prepared Gari from importers.
“These products usually originate from China, Thailand and Japan (premium brands). This is the most economical option. Restaurants buy through specialty distributors supplying Japanese ingredients such as sushi rice, nori, wasabi, soy sauce and Gari. Some high-end Japanese restaurants make their own,” said Kapur.
So why import Gari when India is the world’s largest producer of ginger?
“Indian ginger is quite similar to Japanese ginger. The key difference is that in India, it is harvested after five to six months, whereas in Japan it is harvested much earlier, within two to three months, when it is still tender and milder in flavour,” said Vicky Dodani, co-founder and chief executive of Agrizy, an agrifood processing company. “India also lacks the specialized processing facilities and ecosystem required to produce sushi ginger or Gari.”
Viable option
Making Gari requires a pickling technique using rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Instead of artificial colours, the natural pink tint of young ginger tips is used. For traders and restaurants, importing Gari is more viable than setting up processing units.
India's sourcing of sushi ginger has become increasingly diversified. Thailand has emerged as the largest supplier of Gari over the past few years, with exports to India surging almost eightfold to 232.42 tonnes in FY26 from 29.1 tonnes in FY21.
“The growing popularity of sushi and Japanese restaurants in India has increased awareness and consumption of traditional sushi accompaniments, including pickled ginger,” the spokesperson of E Chan Foods Co. Ltd, a Thai B2B manufacturer and exporter of pickled ginger, sliced ginger and mature ginger, said in response to an emailed query. “The expansion of urban consumers, food delivery platforms, international dining trends and greater exposure to global cuisines have also supported demand.”
Gari imports from China climbed from 2.5 tonnes in FY21 to 48.6 tonnes last fiscal. Supplies from Japan, the traditional source of sushi ingredients, rose to 1.5 tonnes in FY26 from 1.2 tonnes in FY21, while those from Spain, Turkey, Bhutan and Saudi Arabia have also increased.