Deamer 5/97FoodFood InformationVegetablesOnions
Garlic is grown all over the world. It is the most potent and pungent
member of the onion family. The plant grows to a height of about twelve
inches and produces delicate white flowers. However, there is nothing delicate
about the bulb the plant produces. Each bulb, called a head or a knob, contains
eight to twelve sections, called cloves. These cloves are covered and held
closely together by a parchment like covering. The garlic plant doesn't
produce 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 important
role as a seasoning agent in almost every ethnic cuisine, though it is more
widely and lavishly used in warmer climates. This degree of usage dates
back to the era prior to modern refrigeration, when garlic was used to preserve
meats and to mask the flavor and odor of meat that wasn't fresh. In Sicily
and 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 the
Nordic countries garlic plays a minor role.
Since ancient times, garlic has been credited with possessing mystical and
medicinal powers. It was believed that garlic drove away evil spirits (even
Dracula would have none of it). It was prescribed for everything from curing
athlete's foot to restoring hair on bald pates, including all ailments between
those two extremities. During the dark ages people believed that wearing
a garland of garlic would ward off the plague. In America as recently as
1917 and 1918 during the influenza epidemic, people wore garlic garlands
when 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 recognized
by modern medicine to have antibacterial properties.
Most of our garlic is supplied from California, and since these supplies
are supplemented by imports from the Southern Hemisphere, garlic is in ample
supply year-round. Nearly all the California garlic is of the Creole variety,
which features fair-sized heads, white skins, fairly large cloves, and a
fairly mild flavor. The Italian (Mexican) garlic has a purplish skin and
is smaller in size than the California (Creole) variety. It has smaller
cloves but a sharper flavor. The Tahitian variety has an insignificant share
of the total market. This variety produces extra-large heads and is often
called elephant garlic. These white heads are at least twice as large as
those found in the other two types. Tahitian garlic has a milder flavor
and is usually sold by specialty shops or mail-order houses at three or
four times the price of the smaller garlic. The extra size is not nearly
worth the extra cost.
At the wholesale level, the larger-sized heads of garlic command and higher
prices. However, since garlic can be something of a chore to prepare, and
since fewer large cloves than small ones are needed to render the same amount
of garlic, larger cloves (except for Tahitian garlic) may be worth the premium
price.
Shop for garlic as you would for dry onions. Ignore the white or purplish
color of the parchment like skin; both types are of equal quality. Select
firm, dry, sprout-free heads. Garlic shows age by getting soft or wet and
by shooting green sprouts. It keeps for at least a month when stored in
a 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 decreasing
the lasting power of the remaining cloves.
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