Without garlic we would be nothing. At least gastronomically in Spain. Fundamental vegetable in Spanish cuisine, this noble product It has been in our homes for centuries forming part of thousands of dishes, as the protagonist or as a consort, as well as an indispensable element of stir-fries.
Without it, our kitchen would not be the same and trying to explain what its uses in the kitchen are would make for a gastronomic thesis. However, because it is widely used, it is not so well known beyond what we do with it between casseroles.
Really knowing what garlic is or how garlic is grown and even topics that are also very relevant, e.g. how to preserve garlic at home —Who doesn’t remember those strings like necklaces that hung in the pantries?—or what their nutritional benefits are.
Dracula’s nightmare and myth in favor of halitosis An infallible remedy in traditional medicine due to its antibiotic properties, garlic is a backbone element of dozens of dishes in Spanish cuisine that is worth getting to know a little better.
What is garlic
Our beloved garlic obeys the name of Allium sativum and it is a perennial plant of the same genus that includes the onions, chives, leeks and calçots and, as with onions, what interests us gastronomically is its underground bulb, which is the edible part.
The garlic plant can measure just over half a meter, but the most common thing is that it barely exceeds 40 centimeters. The tight, concentrated bulb, which is what we would call a head of garlic, changes in size and shape depending on the variety, but they are usually rounded or oblong.
As for the weight, it also varies depending on the variety, harvest time or the origin itself, can weigh up to 100 gramsalthough this changes enormously due to the condition of the garlic itself and its classification as extra, first or second.
Origin and cultivation of garlic
There are archaeological signs of the cultivation of garlic for more than 5,000 years, found in Egypt, which indicates that garlic is much older and that it began to be cultivate in Central Asia a few thousand years ago.
Converted into a medicinal plant but also valued gastronomically, the garlic plant is would spread across the Mediterranean thanks to the trade of the Phoenicians and Egyptians, reaching Greece and Rome just over 2,500 years ago.
It would be the Roman expansion throughout Europe which would multiply their presence, to which the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula would also contribute. From there, garlic would spread to the rest of the continent and, later, to the temperate zones of America.
However, despite its proliferation, garlic is a ingredient especially linked to Mediterranean cuisines and from the Middle East and Central Asia, its consumption being less abundant in the Nordic countries or the Far East.
In Spain, although there are different areas and cropsThe most common thing is that garlic is planted during the fall and harvested in spring and summer. Even so, there are different qualities depending on the season and there are also certain areas where garlic has a well-deserved fame.
Among the municipalities and localities that most tend to endorse the presence of quality garlic, Las Pedroñeras, in Cuenca; to Montalbanin Córdoba, and Aceuchalin Badajoz, considered the garlic capitals of Spain.
What varieties of garlic exist
There are dozens of varieties of garlic, but commercially we find few, just three or four. In this case, the most popular are white garlic, purple garlic and violet garlic. Although violet and purple may seem synonymous, they should not be taken as such, as they are different cultivars.
- White garlic from Spain: It is the most common, with a mild flavor but a lot of aroma. They are large format and the teeth are cream colored, very marked.
- purple garlic: It is one of the highest quality garlic and, among others, it is what has made the town of Las Pedroñeras, in Cuenca, world famous, which has a protected geographical indication for its purple garlic. Despite the purple garlic, the wrapper is white, but the shirt of each clove is purple. Of high quality, subtle aroma and controlled flavor, they are possibly some of the best garlic we can buy.
- Chinese white garlic: is what is known as Spring white, although it is also grown in Spain, it is a seed originally from China. They have a white shirt and a white wrapper, and are usually large in size.
- Violet garlic: This garlic, sometimes incorrectly called purple, has a striped violet wrapper and its cloves also have a white and violet striped shirt and its name is Spring Violet. With a mild and not very fragrant flavor, it is a very popular garlic, but taste-wise it does not equal purple or white garlic.
How to choose garlic
Good garlic should be compact and not very dry, but that It should not mean that it has to be humid. Fortunately or unfortunately, the way we buy and choose garlic has changed a lot in Spain and only the memory of those huge strings in the houses remains.
In stores and markets we must make sure that they are compact, tight and firm, that do not present traces of moisture nor have they resprouted. Signs that should put us off are seeing skin that is too dry, peeling, and aggressive odors, like rot.
Quality garlic in good condition, still with an intense smell, should have a clean garlic smellnever to other aromas that we associate with that presence of water.
How to preserve garlic
We insist that the way you can preserve garlic at home has changed. Now we make do with a mesh or a head which can last us several days or weeks. However, it is advisable that the garlic be stored in a cool, dry place, and, if possible, that we keep it in an airtight jar or container that allows its aromas not to volatilize.
They should not be stored in the refrigerator, as is also the case with onions, because they run the risk of germinating again. It is also not advisable to store them with other vegetables, since garlic has a very penetrating smell and usually ‘contaminates’ other fruits.
Properties and nutritional benefits of garlic
Known since ancient times as a very valuable ingredient in terms of properties, garlic is claimed for its antibacterial and antifungal benefits. Also for reporting improvements in cardiovascular health and for having antioxidant compounds such as allicin.
Obviously, like any other vegetable, garlic is not a very caloric foodbut by vegetable standards it is relevant because every 100 grams of garlic represents 23 grams of carbohydrates and five grams of proteins, while the presence of fats is negligible.
What it does have are interesting minerals such as iodine, phosphorus and potassium. However, and as is evident, due to the small amount of garlic we use in our meals, we cannot consider it too relevant at a nutritional level.
How to use garlic in cooking
Using garlic in cooking is very simple and everything will depend on the type of recipe we want to prepare. Under normal circumstances, garlic will always be part of a stock or stir-fry with a little onion, pepper or leek. It is also advisable to always cook the garlic, since raw it is too powerful and tends to make us repeat.
Its use in sauces, creams and stews is common, where it can be add both whole and choppedthe whole being more appropriate for oven preparations or where we later go to remove it.
It goes well with any type of dish to increase flavor, from rice to pasta, soups, stews or casseroles. Likewise, due to his strength, he is best related to powerful flavors than with delicate flavors such as those of certain vegetables or finer fish.
On the other hand, things are going well for most resounding garden products like cruciferous vegetables, but it is also a good ally for vinaigrettes in salads. Performing very well roasted or in the oven, garlic is also essential for developing certain sauces such as aioli or garlic sauce.
Recipes with garlic
All-rounder if there is one, except in sweet cuisine, glossing the recipes where we use garlic would be impossible, so let’s select a dozen of them where he is the protagonist.
From humble classics of Spanish cuisine to timeless techniques to enhance our fish, including salads, scrambled eggs and fish and seafood dishes where the classic garlic takes flightwith these 12 recipes we can show that garlic is much more at the expense of a more than protagonist menu.
We start the dance with three very simple recipes. Garlic mushrooms are a good gateway to the aperitif. Look similar to the one we can adopt if what we are betting on in the starters are the no less classic garlic prawns. The finishing touch, perhaps more of a second course – although it lends itself to the terrain of the starter – could be put with the classic garlic chicken or the no less relevant garlic rabbit.
The spoon also includes garlic, clear. You cannot avoid the presence of garlic soup, a legend of Castilian cuisine, or, if we change gears towards cold weather, endorse the creaminess of ajoblanco or mazamorra, two recipes that also make garlic their backbone. A fundamental first step to later enjoy garlic in other areas.
This is the case of another of the references of seafood cuisine such as Galician-style hake, which makes the ajada its main protagonist. It also has garlic, although in another version, cod ajoarriero. Not to be confused with the typical atascaburras from Castilla-La Mancha, which also has garlic as a primary ingredient.
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Finally, we also indulge in the tempting hot garlic, a classic dish of the Jerez grape harvesters or the very simple beef fillet in sauce and garlic. Dishes that are easy to make and easy to accompany with the Catalan romesco sauce, typical of calçots, and that also include garlic.
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