A guide on garlic from a culinary perspective and the health benefits of incorporating garlic into your diet.
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What is garlic?
Garlic (Allium sativum) is part of the genus Allium which is close relative to onions, shallots, chives, scallions, and leeks. The bulb of the garlic plant grows undergrown and each individual section is a clove that is wrapped in paper-thin skins that are removed before consumption.
Garlic is known as a functional spice because it is not only a culinary staple and is used in many different types of dishes but it also has medicinal properties with nutritional constituents, phytochemicals, and fiber.
What does garlic taste like?
Garlic in its raw form has a very pungent and spicy flavor, but cooked garlic has a mellow and more nutty flavor. When garlic is roasted it becomes very tender and caramelized, so tender it is almost creamy and even spreadable with a hint of sweetness. Garlic powder or granules is a dried form often used in culinary that loses its raw pungently strong taste. Garlic in any form will add incredible flavor to a dish.
2 Main Types of Garlic
There are 2 types of garlic that are used most often: softneck garlic and hardneck garlic.
Softneck Garlic vs Hardneck Garlic
Softeneck garlic is more commonly found in grocery stores and actually produces more cloves than hardneck, but is more subtle in flavor than hardneck garlic.
Hardneck garlic has a central stalk between the cloves and the flavor is actually spicier and bolder compared to softneck garlic. Hardneck garlic is a closer relative to garlic in its most natural form, softneck garlic has been bred for commercial production so that it has a longer shelf life.
Picking Out Garlic + How To Store It
When picking out garlic at the grocery store feel the bulbs to make sure they are firm and plump. They should not be soft, spongy or have green shoots growing out of them.
Store garlic at room temperature in a dry and dark place that has airflow, for example, a basket, open bag, or pantry.
Health Benefits of Garlic
Garlic has been shown to have health-promoting and disease-preventing effects on many common diseases, like cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic disorders, blood pressure, and diabetes.
It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering properties, anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral and has been shown to be effective against parasites and fungal infections.
Garlic has high levels of nutrients like potassium, phosphorus zinc, and sulfur, moderate levels of selenium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, and low levels of sodium, vitamins A and C, and B-complex. It is also packed with numerous bioactive compounds that help the body promote good health. Garlic contains 17 amino acids with 8 main amino acids.
Once the garlic is chopped or crushed a chemical reaction occurs and the health-promoting compounds increase. This is why it is important to follow the garlic rule when preparing garlic for cooking.
How To Easily Peel Garlic
- Take a bulb of garlic and break off the cloves and separate it into individual pieces. There will still be a thin paper-like skin covering the clove.
- Place the clove on the cutting board; place the flat edge of the knife on top of the clove and press down with the heel of your palm to crush the clove.
- This will loosen the peel of the garlic. Pull the loose paper-like skin of the garlic clove off and discard.
Preparing Garlic
Garlic can be sliced, chopped, minced, grated, crushed, or knife-blade pureed. Then before cooking let the garlic sit to make sure to unleash the health benefits of the garlic rule.
Culinary Uses + Recipes
When using fresh garlic in your recipes make sure to follow this rule when preparing garlic. Fresh garlic can be used raw or can be cooked. Often times garlic is sauteed in some olive oil before adding in the rest of the ingredients and is often paired with onion or shallots when sauteeing.
Another staple to have on hand is roasted garlic, the entire bulb of garlic can be roasted and the cloves will turn soft and tender. The roasted garlic cloves can be used right away or stored for later use.
Garlic can be infused into oils or even be made into garlic butter, which can be used for cooking and enhancing meals.
Raw garlic or even roasted garlic can easily be added to dressings, sauces, and dips, like this garlic herbed aioli recipe where we incorporate raw garlic.
Black garlic is a popular staple in east Asian cuisine and is made by taking an entire bulb of raw garlic and aging it in warm temperatures at high humidity for an extended period of time. This fermentation process results in a sweet and delicate flavor that like roasted garlic can easily be added to other recipes.
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