Recipe: Savory Garlic Aioli

Hi! I'm Garlic!

"You might be familiar with my strong aroma and taste, but did you know that I'm the bulb of a plant with white, pink, or purple flowers! I'm used in many savory dishes that just wouldn't be the same without me!"

History & Etymology

• Garlic has been grown for thousands of years in China, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used garlic in traditional medicine and cooking. 
• It was found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, who lived from around 1341 BCE to 1323 BCE.
• Galen, a Roman Greek physician writing in the 2nd century, mentioned garlic as a cure-all.
• Garlic is native to many parts of Asia, and China produces the most, about 76 percent. 
• Garlic has long been a staple in vampire folklore as a vampire repellent. Wear some around your neck; a vampire would not dare come near!
• The word "garlic" comes from the Old English "gārlēac," from "gār" or "spear" (the cloves look like a spearhead) and "lēac" or "leek." 

Anatomy

• Garlic, or Allium sativum, is a species of the Allium genus. It is related to chives, leeks, onions, scallions, and shallots. It is a perennial flowering plant that grows from a bulb. 
• Garlic can be cultivated by planting a clove in the ground. It is usually planted in the fall and harvested in late spring or early summer. A stalk will begin to grow from the plant's center, and produce a flower bud, called a "garlic scape," which will eventually flower unless the scape is removed to encourage the bulb's growth. Garlic scapes taste like garlic!
• A garlic bulb is made up of 10 to 20 cloves. The bulb and cloves are covered with white, papery protective leaves or sheaths that are removed before eating or cooking.

How to Pick, Buy & Eat

• Garlic is almost ready to pick when the plant leaves turn yellow. It is time to harvest when the two lower leaves turn brown. If you dig out a bulb from the ground and the cloves have not fully grown into their skins, wait a little longer before picking the rest. 
• You can eat garlic right after picking it or let the bulbs dry out (cure) so they last longer in storage. Lay them out where the air will circulate, or hang them from their stems in a shady, dry place. Depending on the weather, curing can take two weeks to two months. The roots will shrivel and become stiff, and the leaves will be completely dried out and brown.  
• After removing the leaves at the neck of the garlic bulb, and trimming the roots, store the bulbs in a breathable container where they can remain dry. 
• When choosing garlic from the market, the cloves in a garlic bulb should feel firm, not soft, when you squeeze them gently. If they are too dry, the space where a clove would be may feel hollow.  
• When you are ready to use a few garlic cloves in a recipe, press down on the bulb, root side down, to loosen the cloves. Separate the cloves you need with your fingers and use a knife to trim the tip and root end. Then, lay the flat side of a large knife on a clove on a cutting board and press down on the blade to lightly crush the clove and release its skin, making it easier to peel off. It can then be used whole, sliced, or minced. 
• Garlic is a root vegetable and an essential ingredient in many countries' dishes. You can use garlic to season sauces, spreads, salad dressings, meats, breads, and vegetables. It adds a warm, distinctive flavor to butter and mashed potatoes. 
• Garlic produces a pleasant but pungent aroma; if it gets on your hands, there are several ideas to remove the smell from your skin. You can try various scrubs: a paste of salt, baking soda, and water; salt and lemon juice; or coffee grounds or instant coffee and water. Rubbing vinegar or tomato juice on your hands might work. Another method is to hold a stainless steel utensil under cold running water and then rub your hands on the utensil (or stainless steel sink). Supposedly, when the stainless steel molecules bind to the sulfur molecules in the garlic, the odor transfers to the stainless steel.

Nutrition

• Garlic, especially raw garlic, has a few health benefits when eaten regularly. It is thought that eating 1 to 2 cloves a day may help to lower cholesterol, protect the heart, fight infections, prevent some cancers, and reduce blood clotting. A sulfur-containing compound in garlic called "allicin" is primarily responsible for these benefits.
• Garlic can also be detrimental to health by contributing to acid reflux, and if a person is taking medicine to prevent clots, they may want to avoid garlic.