Garlic

Allium sativum alliaceae

Myth, Religion, Culture – wherever you turn, you will find many references to Garlic – suggestions such as that garlic grew from one of the devil’s footprints and onion from the other when he was leaving the Garden of Eden, according to Arab legend. Biblical references are many. It was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. It was often chewed by Roman soldiers before commencing battle, and especially before hand-to-hand combat!

Garlic is actually a perennial of the lily family, the name coming from Anglo Saxon garleac – gar meaning a spear – referring to the leaves of the plant and leac being a plant.

The edible part of the plant is the bulb or corm, which breaks down into cloves, normally about 12 in number, but can produce as high as 20. Harvesting normally takes place approximately 4 – 6 months after planting, when the bulbs are dried in the sun and then traditionally plaited onto a long string.

Main crops of garlic are grown in Spain, France, Egypt, Bulgaria, Hungary, the USA, Mexico and Brazil.

Several different varieties of garlic can be found, the most common being the white bulb with papery skin. The more plump varieties are purple or pink skinned. A giant variety is grown in California, and we were lucky enough to find some in the Vienne department of France.

Widely used in cuisine worldwide, garlic is at its most pungent when crushed or chopped. For a milder effect, try slicing some – or roasting a whole bulb in oil in the oven, and using it as a starter with lovely freshly baked bread! It is important to take care when frying garlic, as letting it turn brown will give a bitter taste.

Known as part of the "trinity", garlic is widely used with ginger and onion in Oriental and Asian cookery.

Amongst its many medicinal uses, garlic is said to have properties which can purify the blood and lower blood pressure. Garlic capsules are now often produced to enable the benefits without the obvious side effects! As a whooping cough sufferer in times gone by, you would probably have had a clove of garlic put into your shoe!

For storing whole garlic, you should inspect the bulbs to ensure that they are firm, and they should be closely packed and stored in a cool dry place, away from strong light. We use quite a lot of garlic, and so we keep a small jar of ready peeled cloves in the fridge!