For the Love of Garlic

The modest garlic clove is revered for both its culinary credentials and its health-giving nutrients. For centuries, garlic has been used as powerful, pungent medicine, as well as a zesty flavour enhancer in many culinary traditions. Today, as you peruse the produce aisles of your local grocery store or visit your local farmers’ market, you’ll see plenty of fresh garlic in two basic forms:

• hardneck—a chunky bulb with a thick centre stalk and a few fat cloves
• softneck—a bulb with many plump cloves all enveloped in papery skins resembling an artichoke

Hardneck garlic is a hale and hearty bulb with four or more big cloves containing plenty of big flavour and oodles of heady spice. When exceptionally fresh, it has a sharp bite that leaves a lingering heat on the palate. Softneck garlic is the most common bulb in grocery stores. These varieties tend to be milder and mellower than the hardneck varieties and have a longer shelf life, perfect for commercial retailers. One potential downside: peeling them can be a bit pesky when the bulbs are exceptionally fresh. Love it or not, the humble, stinky garlic bulb has been with us for about 5,000 years. It’s a staple ingredient in culinary traditions around the world and boasts a pedigree with hundreds of varieties—each locale producing garlic that grows well in their own region. Garlic is touted to be a miracle healer on many levels, with plenty of evidence-based research. Regardless of how it can improve your health, garlic quite simply adds punch and depth to almost any dish. It’s even known to enhance chocolate! Dig in and fall in love with our collection of lip-smacking garlic-lovers’ dishes!