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Botanical Name
Allium sativum
There are two subspecies of allium sativum,
Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon Döll, called Ophioscorodon, or hard-necked garlic, includes porcelain garlics, rocambole garlic, and purple stripe garlics. It is sometimes considered to be a separate species, Allium ophioscorodon G.Don.
Allium sativum var. sativum, or soft-necked garlic, includes artichoke garlic, silverskin garlic, and creole garlic.
Description
Even though garlic is best known for its long-time reputation of warding off vampires or maybe even your date, garlic can add a wonderful flavor to many savory dishes. Just make sure your date eats some too. Then they won’t notice, and you’ll both be safe from vampires. Or you could just eat that garnish of parsley you left sitting on your plate. It’ll freshen your breath. (It’s still sitting there on your plate. You left it there. You know you did. Just eat it. It’s good for you.) Just make sure there’s no green bits left between your teeth when you’re done and you’ll be fine.
Is Garlic a Vegetable or a Spice?
Garlic is in the onion family, and a vegetable is any edible part of an herbaceous plant, such as the roots, leaves, stems, and bulbs. The garlic plant has a bulb, stem and leaves, therefore, it’s considered a vegetable.
Author Note: Garlic is one of my favorite veggies and is usually included in most of the dinners I make. I also plant many different kinds of garlic in my garden every year and am a bit obsessed with trying different kinds. It’s an excellent addition to any garden in the fall. It will overwinter well in most areas and is relatively easy to grow.
Quick Tip
Most garlic bulbs sold at grocery stores can be used as garlic “seed” to grow your own. Just break the bulb into separate cloves and plant the cloves “pointy” side up in the fall.
Vitamins and Minerals
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
- Selenium
- Phosphorous
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Iron
- Copper
- Diallyl disulfide
- s-allyl cysteine
- Garlic also contains allicin, the sulphur-containing compound that gives garlic its distinctive pungent smell and taste.
Quick Tip
Let garlic sit for approximately ten minutes after chopping or crushing to stimulate the production of allicin.
Potential Health Benefits
- Boost the immune system
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Reduce blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol
- May help detoxify heavy metals in the body.
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti-fungal
Background and History
Garlic is native to Central Asia and northeastern Iran.
China produces some 80% of the world’s supply of garlic and the use of garlic in China dates back thousands of years.
Garlic has also been a common ingredient in Mediterranean Europe.
Garlic was used as an antiseptic to prevent gangrene during World War I and World War II.
Flavor Profile
Hot, pungent and spicy, but mellows and sweetens when cooked.
Pairs Well With
An excellent flavor addition in almost all savory dishes.
Storage
Garlic should be stored in a warm (around 64 °F) and dry environment to help keep it from sprouting. Soft neck varieties are often braided in strands and hung for storage. Garlic will keep longer if the tops remain attached.
Popular Uses
- The bulb is the most commonly used part of the plant. The bulbs are divided into fleshy sections called cloves and used raw or cooked.
- The leaves and flowers can be eaten. They have a milder flavor than the cloves, and are used in stir-fries.