Garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Garlic leaf

Used plant part

Bulb (subterranean reserve structure derived from a leaf). There is minor use for fresh garlic leaves.

Plant family

Alliaceae (onion family).

Sensoric quality

Strong and characteristic odor, which is markedly different in fresh and fried state. The pungency of fresh garlic (see also sichuan pepper for pungent spices) vanishes after cooking or frying.

Main constituents

Garlic contains a wealth of sulphur compounds; most important for the taste is allicin (diallyl disulphide oxide), which is produced enzymatically from alliin (S-2-propenyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide) if cells are damaged; its biological function is to repel herbivorous animals. Allicin is desactivated to diallyl disulphide; therefore, minced garlic changes its aroma if not used immediately. In the essential oil from steam destillation, diallyl disulphide (60%) is found besides diallyl trisulphide (20%), diallyl sulfide, ajoene and minor amounts of other di- and polysulphides.

Sulphur compounds of this kind are typical for the onion family; see also bear's garlic, onion and chives. A plant botanically not related but containing similar aroma compounds (and thus showing a similar fragrance) is asafetida.

Origin

Central Asia, but cultivated all over the world.

Etymology

The first element in English garlic means "spear" (cognate of Gothic gaar and archaic German Ger, which appears in many German first names) and refers to the pointed leaves. It is closely related to Old Irish gae "spear" and Latin gaesum "heavy javlin", which is often thought a Celtic loan. Other related words include Greek chaîos "shepherd's crook" and maybe Sanskrit hesah "weapon"; a possible Indo-European root to account for all forms is GHAISO- "javlin". There may be a remote connection with the verbal root GHEI- "set something in motion" (Sanskrit hetih "missile", Langobard gaida "point of an arrow").

The element -lic is derived from leek and has plenty of cognates in other Germanic languages (German Lauch, Swedish lök, Dutch look); there are also loans to non-Germanic languages (Russian luk, Finnish laukka, Lithuanian lukai). The common explanation derives these words from from an Indo-European verbal root LEUG- meaning "bend" or "turn", probably again referring to the leave's shape; cf. Greek lygízein "bend" or Lithuanian lùnas "flexible".

In the German name of garlic, Knoblauch, the first element knob- is sometimes explained as meaning "knot" (because the leaves of garlic are frequently tied together to improve growth of the subterranean parts), but it seems more probable to relate it to a verb stem klieb-, meaning "split" (cf. engl. cleave), which is also the origin of the english term clove (of garlic); deriving from Indo-European GLEUBH- "cut, carve, peel", it is related to Greek glyphís "notch, mark" and Latin glubere "peel". The second element -lauch is, of course, equivalent to English leek. Similar remarks apply to the Dutch name knoflook.
 

Young garlic plants

Swedish vitlök and Norwegian hvitløk again contain an element cognate to English leek; the first part of the name, however, means "white"; in Swedish, the name of onion is formed by prefixing the -lök root with an adjective meaning "red". A completely analogous usage is found in Indonesian (putih "white").

The French name Thériaque des pauvres (Theriac of the poor) reflects the medical value of garlic. In the Middle Ages, an expensive and complicated mixture of mostly very exotic ingredients called "theriac" was believed to be extremely powerful against every kind of illness (snake bite, bone fracture, plague, ...).

The genus name Allium is the Latin name of garlic, which also gave rise to garlic's name in Romance tongues (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese). The botanical species name sativus means "cultivated".
Garlic is one of the most popular spices in the world, and wherever it was introduced to, it met enthusiastic approval. It is reported that in ancient Egypt, the workers who had to build the great pyramids were fed their daily share of garlic, and the Bible mentions garlic as a food the Hebrews enjoyed during their sojourn in Egypt (see pomegranate).

In Europe, garlic has been a common spice since the days of the Roman Empire, and it was extensively used from India to East Asia even before the Europeans arrived there. After the Age of Exploration, its use spread rapidly to Africa and both Americas. Curiously enough, in our days Northern Europeans seem to be the only ones who look on it with suspicion because of its strong smell, which is sometimes felt unpleasant.

Some cuisines are fond of raw garlic. In parts of Austria, salads are prepared with vinegar, oil and minced garlic, and raw garlic appears in quite a multitude of Mediterranean sauces. Prominent examples are the Provencal specialty aïoli, basically a mayonnaise based on olive oil and enriched with garlic; furthermore, Greek skordaliá, a paste made from cooked potatoes and raw garlic, and Turkish çaçik (called tsatsiki in Greece), a refreshing sauce made from plain yoghurt, shredded cucumber, garlic and peppermint leaves. Occasionally, minced garlic is spread along the edge of Italian pizza (see oregano).

Vampires have no chance in Vietnam: Freshly grated garlic is served in liberal amounts to spring rolls and soups in Northern Vietnam (see Vietnamese cinnamon for an account of the Hanoi style beef soup). The latter is an example demonstrating the subtle effect that can be achieved by adding grated or squeezed raw garlic to a dish that already contains cooked garlic.

Raw garlic may also be pickled in vinegar or olive oil. Since some of garlic's aroma is extracted by the liquid, pickled garlic is usually very mild. Herbal vinegar (see dill) is commonly made with one or two garlic cloves per liter vinegar.

Usage of fried or cooked garlic is, however, much more common. On heating, the pungency and strong odor get lost and the aroma becomes more subtle and less dominant, harmonizing perfectly with ginger, pepper, chilies and many other spices. Therefore, it is an essential ingredient for nearly every cuisine of the world.

 

Garlic plant www.botanikus.de

Different Asian cuisines make different use of this very versatile spice. Many Indian recipes add garlic in an early phase, and it is fried for a long time together with onion and other spices to provide the basic masala; in the finished dish, the garlic taste is no longer discernible, but has merged totally with the other components. In contrast, although Indonesian and even Chinese stir-fries usually start with frying a few cloves of garlic, a faint garlic aroma persists until serving. because of the much shorter cooking time. In Indonesian cuisine, mixtures based on minced garlic, ginger and chilies are frequently used to season meat pieces before roasting or grilling (see lesser galangale for details and see also lemon grass for the spice paste bumbu).

Thai cuisine, on the other hand, avoids frying of garlic (which is an essential component of its curry pastes, see coconut), but prefers gentle simmering for spicy soups or creamy curries. Similar custom is found in Cambodia; pastes of garlic, together with chilies, lemon grass or ginger, are added to soups or stews.

In the southern states of the US, garlic is also very popular. The small town of Gilroy (in California, not far from San Francisco) claims to be the "garlic capital" of the world; although not quite true, the claim seems plausible to every visitor in August, when the annual "garlic festival" is held and garlic recipes are evaluated. The Gilroy region is also the main produces for the US market (as can easily be smelled at harvest time). Garlic consumption is also high in Central America, where the bulbs are, among others, used for Méxican mole (see paprika) and salsa (see long coriander).

Garlic is much less popular in today's Europe, where it is used only with care, except the Southern European countries. Northerners seem to loathe the faint garlic odor that is emitted by garlic eaters even many hours after the garlic consume. There is no perfect remedy against it, but eating chopped parsley, hot showering and excessive tooth brushing will remove at least the greater part of it.

In recipes from North or Central Europe, garlic is normally cooked for a long time to reduce it odor; furthermore, its aroma is thereby sufficiently damped to fit better to the rather mild food of this region. Cooks tend to use garlic together with some Mediterranean herbs (thyme, bay leaves), but also with indigenous spices like juniper and caraway.

Cooks in Southern Europe tend to use garlic much more liberally. It is commonly combined with pungent chilies (e.g., Italian spaghetti aglio ed olio, spaghetti noodles with garlic and olive oil); garlic finely cut and suspended in olive oil together with parsley leaves is often served to barbecued fish in Croatia. Garlic is a main constituent of most Mediterranean sauces; some examples using raw garlic were given above. Food prepared with both red or white wine calls for some garlic: Rabbit stewed in red wine together with generous amounts of garlic and bay leaves is a national dish in Malta (Fenek bit-tewm u bl-Imbid), and Portuguese porco vinho e alho (fried pork cubes that have been seasoned with white wine and garlic) is delicious.

Of botanically related plants, onion is certainly the most important. Even more closely related is bear's garlic, whose fresh leaves have some tradition in Central Europe.