The Magic of Garlic

Magical Properties

We at Glutenfreeda.com thought it fitting to discuss garlic during this ghoolish Halloween season. Garlic has been rumored to have magical properties, specifically as a defense against the vampire. Traditional uses include hanging wreaths of garlic around the neck or at the doorway of the home to ward off potential vampire attacks. It is also been known as a way to detect vampires. In Slavic countries, a person’s aversion to eating garlic meant that they could be a vampire!

Medicinal Properties

Besides it’s supposed magical properties, garlic is used today, not only for flavoring, cooking and pickling, but also as a medicinal aid. It is believed to strengthen the body’s natural defenses against disease, as well as act as a digestive stimulant, a diuretic, and as a antispasmodic.

Types of Garlic

You may find extra-large cloves of garlic, also known as elephant garlic, at your store. These cloves are much milder in taste and are best used for roasting. Smaller, more traditional heads of garlic are much stronger in taste and used most often in cooking, flavoring and pickling.

Cooking with Garlic

Nothing can replace the delicious aroma and taste that garlic contributes to numerous dishes of different ethnic origins. Often it truly rounds out the flavor of the dish. Garlic can be purchased already chopped in jars, however, we strongly urge you to cut your garlic as close to the cooking time as possible. Not only will you enjoy better flavor from freshly cut garlic, but also you will eliminate possible bacterial contaminates that can infect garlic left standing at room temperature.

To loosen the skin, crush the garlic clove between the knife blade’s flat side and the cutting board, using the heel of your hand. Peel off the skin and remove the root end and any brown spots. Mince the clove fairly fine, or coarsely chop. (If you would like to remove any bitterness, add some kosher salt to minced garlic — this will absorb excess juice and oil.) If you want to make a garlic paste, hold the knife at an angle and use the cutting edge to mash the garlic or shallot against the cutting board. Repeat this step until the garlic is mashed into a paste. Many recipes request different forms of garlic other than mashed or minced. Sometimes, simply bruising the garlic will add the perfect amount of flavor to a dish.

So whether you are trying to ward off the vampires in your neighborhood, or just trying to enhance the flavor of your favorite dish, you can never go wrong with a magical clove of garlic!

– Glutenfreeda