Everything You Need to Know About the Famous Spice - Garlic

 

Garlic is an old spice with a history of several thousand years. It is made from a bulbous plant and was used for medicinal purposes, religious procedures, and as a spice in various cuisines. In central Asia and North-eastern Iran, garlic is a common seasoning and is native to their origins. Even some of the documents and findings suggest that garlic was used even 5,000 years ago. Authentic garlic can be purchased anywhere from Asian supermarkets.

The largest supply of garlic is produced by China, as more than 80% of the garlic’s world supply is controlled by them. Around 22.3 Million tonnes of garlic is produced in China. India comes in at second with 1.7 million tonnes of garlic in export, followed up by Bangladesh at 0.5 million tonnes.

Health Properties of Garlic

• Lowers the risk of cancer – Eating garlic can block the formation of nitrosamines, powerful carcinogens, responsible for targeting several sites in our body, that is the liver, breasts, and colon. Garlic contains sulphur compounds that prevent cancer.
• Blood pressure regulator – Garlic has been shown to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Spice Village is an Asian supermarket in Berlin which has authentic and fresh groceries and other products with free shipping in Europe.
• Cures a common cold – Used for curing common cold years ago, medicinal drinks have this spice as a must-have ingredient.
• Constipation – Garlic contains gut-friendly microbes and it protects the overall health of our Gut.
• Low in calories – Garlic is very nutritious and is very low in calories.
• Lowers Bad cholesterol – Garlic helps lower the bad cholesterol that is LDL and in turn, improves your cardiovascular health.
• Prevents from Alzheimer’s and Dementia – Garlic contains many antioxidants that protect again these age-related diseases, as It contains antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative damage.
• Might improve athletic performance – It was known as the Performance-enhancing substance of the Greek ages. It was said to reduce fatigue and enhance work capacity. Many athletes used garlic to improve performance.

 

Garlic used for Religious and Spiritual purposes

In old folklore, this age-old spice has been regarded as a natural force of good and evil. In Europe, garlic was used for protection or White Magic. It was also believed as a powerful substance that worked against werewolves, vampires, and demons. They used to rub garlic on windows, gang them by the chimney, and other things to protect again the vampires. 

Some tasty and medicinal garlic recipes

• Cesnecka – Part of the Czech cuisine, it is a soup that consists of thin broth, garlic, and sliced potatoes, with added spices for taste and flavor. Garlic is heavily used in this dish with fried bread cubes as an side. 
• Agilata – Italian cuisine heavily uses garlic as an ingredient, garlic sauce, garlic bread, garlic pizzas too, Italian garlic pasta, and so much more. Agilata is a savory sauce that is used to add flavor to boiled meats, fishes and vegetables.
• Aioli – A Mediterranean sauce that is made of olive oil, and heavily used garlic, available at online Asian shops, with eggs.
• Garlic Butter – It is used as a flavoring agent in some Italian dishes and is also used as a spread on bread and shrimps. It is made from garlic and butter, grilled and chilled before use.
• Garlic Bread – It is a dish that is consumed worldwide and I loved by many. Garlic butter with oregano and chives are spread onto bread and baked into perfection. There are many different variations of this dish, as some add different types of cheese to enhance the taste. Garlic powder is also used to enhance the flavor.
• Garlic Chutney – It is prepared by using Garlic, Coconut, groundnuts, and green or red chili peppers. And has its variations too. The ingredients are blended and sometimes water Is added.

Different regions where garlic is used: 

It is an important component of many regions, such as eastern Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, southern Europe, northern Africa, and some parts of Latin America.

Oils can also be flavored with garlic cloves, and the infuse oils are used to season vegetables, meats, bread, pasta, fish and so much more. 

In the east and southeast Asia, chili oil with garlic is a popular dipping sauce, especially for meat and seafood. Vietnam chili garlic sauce called Tuong ot toi Viet Nam is a very popular dip across Asia and North America.

Garlic is an essential ingredient in Middle Eastern and Arabic cooking. Traditionally, garlic is often crushed together with olive oil, with additional ingredients such as salt to make a middle eastern garlic sauce known as Toum.

Lightly Smoked garlic is commonly used in European and British cuisines, used particularly in sops, stews, and stuffing the poultry.

 

And at last, in some cuisines, the young bulbs are often picked for 3 to 6 weeks in a mixture that is made of sugar, spices, and added salt. It is a type of serving that is served with dumplings in northern China that is a festive dish that is made on the occasion of Chinese New Year.