Garlic

Garlic

Is part of the Onion, shallot and leek family. Garlic is known for it culinary and medical uses. It has a pungent and spicy flavor when raw but when it is cooked or roasted it because mellow and sweet.

Garlic comes in a bulb form then in the bulb they are divided into sections which are called cloves. The cloves are the seeds which is what we used to cook with. It has a paper outer skin that protects the cloves.

Cultivation

Garlic can be grown all year round in mild climates. In the cold climates you need to plant the cloves six weeks before the first frost they are harvested in late spring. Pest do not attach garlic but they can develop pink root which is a disease that stunts the roots and turns them pink or red. They can be planted close together you just need to leave enough room for the cloves to mature.

Culinary uses

Garlic is used all around the world for it strong flavor in cooking or as a seasoning or a condiment. Garlic is usually paired up with onions, tomatoes and ginger. The outer paper is usually taken off before using them. Garlic can be roasted by cutting the ends off the cloves and rubbing them in olive oil and placed in the oven until soft. Then you get the garlic out of the cloves all you have to do is squeeze them and the garlic will come out. When roasted it has a really mellow flavor. Oils are also flavored with garlic cloves. When preparing infused oils at home you are running a risk of botulism if the product is not stored correctly. To reduce the risk the oil should be refrigerator and used within one week of making it. Store bought infused oils usually add chemicals to the oils to eliminate the risk of botulism.

The leaves and stems are also eaten in other cultures. In Chinese cuisine they pickle young garlic bulbs in sugar, salt and spices. Also the stems are using in stir fries. In Cambodia the leaves are cut cleaned and stir fried with eggs and meat and or vegetables.

Medical uses

Garlic has been known for it culinary and medical uses dating back as far as the Egyptians. Garlic is known for it ability to help prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer. Studies done on animals and on humans have shown that taking a garlic supplement has reduces the placque in the aortas and vascular calcification. A study done in 2007 showned that the consumption of any form of garlic did not reduce the chelostrol levels in patients with moderately high baseline level. Garlic is also used in fighting the common cold by rubbing a garlic syrup or a salve made from garlic and lard on the chest and back. In modern medcine garlic is used to treat intestinal worms by taking it orally and through an anal suppository.

Superstitions and myths

Garlic is known for its forces with good and evil. A Christian myth says that after Satan left the Garden of Eden that garlic arose in his left footprint and an onion in his right. In Europe garlic is used for protection. In Central Europe garlic is used to ward off demons, werewolves, and vampires. To ward off vampires garlic should be worn around the neck and also hung in windows, or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes. In Northeastern India garlic is mixed with water and spread around their home to keep snakes from entering.