Garlic Throughout History

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Garlic has been used throughout history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. The garlic plant's bulb is the most commonly used part of the plant. With the exception of the single clove types, the bulb is divided into numerous fleshy sections called cloves. The cloves are used for consumption (raw or cooked), or for medicinal purposes, and have a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. The leaves, and flowers (bulbils) on the head (spathe) are also edible, and being milder in flavor than the bulbs, they are most often consumed while immature and still tender.  

Additionally, the immature flower stalks (scapes) of the hard-neck and elephant types are sometimes marketed for uses similar to asparagus in stir-fries. The papery, protective layers of "skin" over various parts of the plant are generally discarded during preparation for most culinary uses, though in Korea immature whole heads are sometimes prepared with the tender skins intact. The root cluster attached to the basal plate of the bulb is the only part not typically considered palatable in any form. The sticky juice within the bulb cloves is used as an adhesive in mending glass and porcelain in China.




Garlic isn't only used to keep away vampires and give you bad breath but it is also known as the stinking rose it does so much more than a lot of us know of. Garlic is widely used around the world for its pungent flavor as a seasoning or condiment. It is a fundamental component in many or most dishes of various regions, including eastern Asia, south Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, northern Africa, southern Europe, and parts of South and Central America. The flavour varies in intensity and aroma with the different cooking methods. It is often paired with onion, tomato, or ginger. The parchment-like skin is much like the skin of an onion and is typically removed before using in raw or cooked form. 

An alternative is to cut the top off the bulb, coat the cloves by dribbling olive oil (or other oil-based seasoning) over them, and roast them in an oven. Garlic softens and can be extracted from the cloves by squeezing the (root) end of the bulb, or individually by squeezing one end of the clove. In Korea, heads of garlic are fermented at high temperature; the resulting product, called black garlic, is sweet and syrupy, and is now being sold in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.


Choose firm, plump bulbs with dry skins. Avoid soft or shriveled cloves and garlic stored in the refrigerated section of the produce department.

Model Credit to Gabrielle T.

The various health benefits of garlic are due to nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and manganese. It is a rich source of the sulfur compound known an allicin which is also responsible for its odor. Other sulfur compounds present in garlic include arginine, saponins, beta-carotene, ferulic acid, geranoil and various polyohenols. Garlic possesses various medicinal properties like antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, analgesic and anesthetizing properties. Raw garlic is known to be the most beneficial. Garlic, when cooked tends to lose some of its nutrients, but is still beneficial up to a large extent. Pickled or aged garlic is also known to be very beneficial if consumed.

The Mayo Clinic lists garlic's many possibilities for preventing and reducing disease, though they admit that much more study is needed to move garlic's benefits from "possible" to "certainty."

Garlic contains natural antibiotic and antimicrobial properties that can help treat a variety of  health issues. Throughout history, people have used garlic for many conditions such as infection, high blood pressure and even snake bites. Garlic is commonly used in modern times for lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease. The therapeutic qualities of garlic are nothing new. Sanskrit records reveal that garlic remedies were pressed into service in India 5,000 years ago, while Chinese medicine has recognised garlic's powers for over 3,000 years. Although Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin in 1928 largely took over from garlic, World War. 


One overwhelmed the capacity and garlic was again, the antibiotic of choice.Most of the modern research on garlic has concentrated on its ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure as well as offering protection against strokes and heart disease. For example, when the Journal of the Royal College of Physicians reviewed data on cholesterol in 1993, it found that after just four weeks there was a 12 per cent reduction in cholesterol levels in the research groups that had taken garlic.

Nutrition Facts

Calculated for 1 tsp
Amount Per Serving		%DV
Calories 4
Calories from Fat 0		(3%)
	Total Fat 0.0g	0%
	Saturated Fat 0.0g	0%
	Monounsaturated Fat 0.0g
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0g
	Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 0mg		0%
Potassium 11mg		0%
Total Carbohydrate 0.9g		0%
	Dietary Fiber 0.1g	0%
	Sugars 0.0g
Protein 0.2g		0%

Resources
Related articles

• How to Plant and Grow Garlic (brighthub.com)
• Lower Cholesterol and Regulate High Blood Pressure Naturally (herbal-properties.suite101.com)
• Garlic's goodies (beinghealthyhomeandaway.blogspot.com)
• Field Trip: Planting garlic (life.nationalpost.com)
• The Benefits of Black Garlic (friendseat.com)
• Steps for Growing Organic Garlic (brighthub.com)
• Gardening week ahead: Grow garlic in pots (telegraph.co.uk)

Disclaimer

Since we're not giving any kind of medical advice, we direct our attention to people of average health who are not allergic to garlic or any of the compounds it breaks down into. If you are allergic to garlic or any of the compounds it breaks down into, don't use it and stay away from it! Everybody should use common sense when dealing with any substance that can alter human health in any way and look out after their own best interest. We are not responsible for anything and you are totally on your own for all things. You are responsible for your own decisions and their results regardless of anything on this website.