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I was looking at a recipe and it said I needed to add sugar, ginger, yeast and yeast nutrient and other stuff.
I would have thought that it would be referring to the sugar, but can anyone confirm for me please.
The recipe is for Ginger beer, if it helps.
They're likely referring to di-ammonium phosphate, which is used in wine making and mead brewing, as it provides nitrogen to accelerate the yeast growth.
I found a site giving instructions for using egg whites as a replacement, but it might be easier (and safer) to just go to a shop that specializes in brewing or wine making supplies and getting the right stuff. (I have no idea how expensive it is, as I've never done it)
Your other option would be to find an alternate recipe that doesn't call for it ... it might take longer to brew, though.
I make hard cider from time to time. Like Joe said, you can buy yeast nutrient at a home brewing supply store, particularly one that caters to wine makers. If you don't want to do that, a cider maker's trick is to add a handful of raisins instead. They'll release nitrogen into the wort as they break down.
Whatever you do, don't just skip it. During fermentation, the alcohol produced by the yeast helps prevent other nasties from growing in the wort. If you leave out the yeast nutrient, then your wort will be sitting around at room temperature for a long time without a lot of protection. You can end up with ginger beer vinegar due to bacterial action.
