"Fight mouthwash ...eat garlic"
Lloyd Harris, the Official Garlic Lover's Handbook
Garlic used as it should be used is the soul, the divine essence, of cookery. The cook who can employ it successfully will be found to possess the delicacy of perception, the accuracy of judgment, and the dexterity of hand which go to the formation of a great artist. -- Mrs. W. G. Waters, The Cook's Decameron (1920)
WHAT
IS GARLIC?
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a member of the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), which also includes leeks, onions, and shallots. It is a perennial with an underground bulb (head) composed of pungent bulblets commonly called cloves. The pungent flavor of garlic is caused by a chemical reaction that occurs when the garlic cells are broken.
The flavor is most intense shortly after cutting or chopping. This chemical reaction cannot occur after garlic is cooked, which is why roasted garlic is sweet rather than pungent.
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a member of the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), which also includes leeks, onions, and shallots. It is a perennial with an underground bulb (head) composed of pungent bulblets commonly called cloves. The pungent flavor of garlic is caused by a chemical reaction that occurs when the garlic cells are broken.
The flavor is most intense shortly after cutting or chopping. This chemical reaction cannot occur after garlic is cooked, which is why roasted garlic is sweet rather than pungent.
"Garlic all powerful;
marvelous seasoning; you are the essence, the incense which revives and
exhilarates; you are the spur that excites, stimulates. Garlic! You stir
up, you impel, you cheer; you are the only condiment, you are the glorious
one, the sovereign extract of the earth."
Gustave Coquiot
Garlic Spectrum by Jean Hanamoto
