The Power of Garlic
So little, but so potent — this veggie should be in everyone’s pantry. Find out why it’s so good for you.
Garlic’s Background
This little bulb is a member of the lily family and a close relative to the onion and leek. Its use in cooking dates back more than 5,000 years so consider it a seasoned (and seasoning) favorite. In herbal traditions, garlic is considered a wonder drug — used to treat colds or even repel mosquitoes.
Nutrition Facts
One clove of garlic has less than 5 calories and contains calcium and B vitamins. You’d have to eat quite a bit in one sitting to get adequate amounts of those nutrients, but little amounts can add up over time. Garlic also has antibacterial properties thanks to the phytochemical allicin. There’s some mixed evidence that garlic has cholesterol-lowering powers, too. Research is limited at this point, but it’s not bad news so you can always enjoy and hope for the best. (Check out this article to learn more.)
Cooking with Garlic
For something so small, a clove of garlic packs a powerful flavor punch that changes with various cooking methods. Raw garlic has a pungent, spicy taste that’s great for salad dressings, dipping sauces and marinades for meat, fish, chicken or vegetables.
Cooked garlic takes on a sweeter, nuttier flavor. A light sauté with olive oil makes for delicious spinach or green beans. Or infuse oil with garlic for crisp and flavorful roasted potatoes. I add roasted garlic to toasted bread as a spread or into pasta. (My brother-in-law just eats roasted cloves whole!) Last but not least, try steaming garlic — it gives a wonderful light flavor to fish.
Check your local farmers’ market for garlic scapes; these are the tender green shoots that come from a growing bulb. They have a milder flavor that’s perfect for eggs, salads and pesto sauce.
Shopping Tip: Choose heads of garlic that are tight and firm. Store in a cool, dark place for 8 weeks to 3 months; once the bulb has been broken up into cloves, use it within a week to ten days.
A lot of grocers stock Chinese garlic, so be sure to check country of origin and choose California-grown. It has higher levels of Allicin and Brix, so it cooks better, tastes better, and is better for you! Happy Garlic Day!
Garlic is a very popular food in china
Garlic is great. I read in an article that a study was done at the Boston Children’s Hospital that it will kill over 14 different viruses in the nose and throat. Every time someone in our house gets a cold, out comes the garlic and away goes the cold. You have to chop it to get the full benefits. People ask me about the smell, but if you have a cold I found people don’t want to talk to you anyway.
Testament to its magic, my friend toni is 97 & still running around-he’s from sicily & its an old tradition to eat a fresh clove every day(if your hydrated, the smell goes quick!)
Garlic is the first ingredient I add to my Vita-Mix machine when making fresh vegetable juices!
I am 60 year old young man and have been using garlic in my all the meals (breakfast,lunch,dinner) and I am very health and fit like a young man of 18 years. Garlick has played wonders in my life.
I’m 50 and when my brothers and I were children my Mom made a “tonic” from chopped fresh garlic and spring water which she gave us a tablespoon of 3 times a day when we had upset stomach or a cold…worked wonders!
I use garlic in everything I cook even when I fix eggs try it it is verry good
The list of the value of garlic can be hardly extinguished. The list can go on and on. A user earns enormous benefits from its consumption. Aside culinary applications, it has been used in pharmaceutical products too because the properties of the properties. But amongst your suggested recipes, String Beans with Garlic is my favorite.
garlic is wonderful. I have just started using it. I take a clove each morning with a glass of warm water- temp water is okay too. my mother for years has encouraged me to do this but now that i am getting on -nearing 40 i decided to. she is 61 and has been doing it for more than 15 years and swears by its magic. cook with it-everything, drink it with honey for a cold, a sore throat-just make this miracle a little part of your day-you’ll feel better and live longer-
I love garlic, but have you tried garlic chip? It is good for salad. I wish somebody in Gilroy,California will manufacture or make garlic chip. What I have tasted was made in the Philippines.
In regards to Hewlett’s remarks about garlic chips I found a web site that sells them. It is http://store.philamfood.com/store/product/6939/ALING-CONCHING-CRISPY-GARLIC-CHIPS-4.23OZ/ It would appear that you can fry garlic in palm oil and season with sea salt to get this tasty snack, or order from the above website.
Yes, garlic is very hot in north china especially in noodles dishes. The flavor of garlic is so special but I like it.
Try garlic soup!
I love garlic. That’s all. I just wanted to say I love garlic!
Hey Nareshbhai, Happy Birthday, you young man. Ill probablly see you in December 2009.
Divya