GARLIC
Garlic is most often used as a flavoring agent but can also be eaten as a vegetable. It is used to flavor many foods, such as salad dressings, vinaigrettes, marinades, sauces, vegetables, meats, soups, and stews. It is often used to make garlic butter and garlic toast.
Garlic is an allium species that belongs to the lily family, and is closely related to onions, shallots, and chives. It grows underground in the form of a bulb, which is composed of individual sections called cloves that are used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Cloves of garlic are covered in thin, papery skins that are removed before cooking.
The Two Primary Varieties of Garlic
- Softneck garlic (Allium sativum): The variety you usually see in supermarkets. It produces more cloves than the hardneck variety, and has a subtle flavor. The name comes from its soft, pliable stalk and delicate, papery skin.
- Hardneck garlic (Allium ophioscorodon): If you’re looking for a bolder, spicy garlic flavor, try using hardneck garlic. They have woody central stalks and can be found at farmers’ markets.
For thousands of years garlic has been touted for its health benefits, which range from boosting the immune system to reducing high blood pressure and heart disease. Many cultures have home remedies for the common cold using garlic, whether it’s chicken soup cooked with garlic, a hot drink made with crushed garlic, or even eating raw whole cloves (watch that breath!).
Nutritional value. It’s chock full of nutrients like vitamin c, vitamin b6, manganese, and fiber.
Anti-inflammatory. Garlic extract or garlic supplements can be taken daily to reduce cholesterol levels
Anti-bacterial. You can also use garlic as a topical, antifungal agent.
Antioxidant. Garlic’s antioxidant properties fight free radicals and cancer cells, and are particularly effective as a preventative measure against colon cancer.
The positive effects of garlic intake far outweigh any bad. Garlic consumption can lead to bad breath, heartburn, or nausea, but there aren’t many side effects associated with eating garlic.
Garlic cloves are used raw and cooked in dishes and have a strong flavor and aroma that varies with different cooking methods. Most commonly sautéed with onions, garlic can also be roasted until soft and sweet to spread over toast, infused into oils, used in spice rubs, made into garlic butter, and enjoyed raw in salad dressings. Roasting garlic mellows out its strong, almost spicy raw flavor.
In Korea, whole heads of raw garlic are fermented at high temperatures; resulting in a black garlic that is sweet and delicate in flavor. Garlic chives, which are the tender leaves that sprout from the bulb of garlic are a popular vegetable in China. They’re used in noodles, dumplings, and scrambled eggs.