In Asian cooking, we use both young and old ginger.

Young ginger is light in color and often comes with some green stem attached. It is often pickled and eaten with other food. You've probably seen it served with sushi - it is the pink one. It can also be pickled with other vegetables like eggplants and cucumber and served with rice.

The old ginger is used in various cooking. Often in Chinese cooking, it is julienne and tossed in with garlic for stir fried dishes.

This is ginger root that has not matured yet -- it has yellow skin that is not at all wrinkly or hard. The flavor is not as strong or hot as old ginger.

Even though the skin is thin, you will still want to peel it.