Deamer 5/97FoodFood InformationVegetablesOnions
Garlic is grown all over the world. It is the most potent and pungentmember of the onion family. The plant grows to a height of about twelveinches and produces delicate white flowers. However, there is nothing delicateabout the bulb the plant produces. Each bulb, called a head or a knob, containseight to twelve sections, called cloves. These cloves are covered and heldclosely together by a parchment like covering. The garlic plant doesn'tproduce seeds but is propagated by planting the cloves.
There are three basic types of garlic: Creole, Italian (Mexican), and Tahitian(Elephant garlic).
Garlic is believed to have originated in Asia Minor and now plays an importantrole as a seasoning agent in almost every ethnic cuisine, though it is morewidely and lavishly used in warmer climates. This degree of usage datesback to the era prior to modern refrigeration, when garlic was used to preservemeats and to mask the flavor and odor of meat that wasn't fresh. In Sicilyand Spain it is used with a heavy hand in almost all dishes except dessert.In France and northern Italy it is used more subtly. In Britain and theNordic countries garlic plays a minor role.
Since ancient times, garlic has been credited with possessing mystical andmedicinal powers. It was believed that garlic drove away evil spirits (evenDracula would have none of it). It was prescribed for everything from curingathlete's foot to restoring hair on bald pates, including all ailments betweenthose two extremities. During the dark ages people believed that wearinga garland of garlic would ward off the plague. In America as recently as1917 and 1918 during the influenza epidemic, people wore garlic garlandswhen they went out in public. Despite these age-old myths and old wives'tales, there is some truth to back up the use of garlic in folk medicine:The high supply of organic sulfur compounds contained in garlic is recognizedby modern medicine to have antibacterial properties.
Most of our garlic is supplied from California, and since these suppliesare supplemented by imports from the Southern Hemisphere, garlic is in amplesupply year-round. Nearly all the California garlic is of the Creole variety,which features fair-sized heads, white skins, fairly large cloves, and afairly mild flavor. The Italian (Mexican) garlic has a purplish skin andis smaller in size than the California (Creole) variety. It has smallercloves but a sharper flavor. The Tahitian variety has an insignificant shareof the total market. This variety produces extra-large heads and is oftencalled elephant garlic. These white heads are at least twice as large asthose found in the other two types. Tahitian garlic has a milder flavorand is usually sold by specialty shops or mail-order houses at three orfour times the price of the smaller garlic. The extra size is not nearlyworth the extra cost.
At the wholesale level, the larger-sized heads of garlic command and higherprices. However, since garlic can be something of a chore to prepare, andsince fewer large cloves than small ones are needed to render the same amountof garlic, larger cloves (except for Tahitian garlic) may be worth the premiumprice.
Shop for garlic as you would for dry onions. Ignore the white or purplishcolor of the parchment like skin; both types are of equal quality. Selectfirm, dry, sprout-free heads. Garlic shows age by getting soft or wet andby shooting green sprouts. It keeps for at least a month when stored ina cool, dry, well-ventilated area, but it won't keep as well in the refrigerator.Unlike the onion, which has to be used quite soon after it has been cut,you can remove as little as a single clove of garlic without decreasingthe lasting power of the remaining cloves.
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