Tasty toes
You usually enjoy two days of eating garlic: first during a meal and then thanks to the smell from your mouth and pores. Many healthy powers are attributed to this – for most people – fine seasoning. Is that right?
Garlic (allium sativum) is a plant in the garlic family. Onions and chives also belong to this family and, like garlic, are bulbous plants. Garlic has been eaten since ancient times, especially in the countries around the Mediterranean and in Asia. In those earlier times, garlic was also regularly used as a remedy for all kinds of ailments, infections, wounds, ulcers, weakness and tumors. In ancient Egypt, the garlic plant was even considered sacred.
Vegetable
Garlic has a pungent pungent smell and taste. The longer you cook or bake garlic, the sharpness of the taste will disappear, but it will remain recognizable. Garlic powder and garlic flakes have a milder taste than fresh and dried garlic. The powder is very concentrated. The flakes are especially suitable for cooking or stewing. A clove weighs about 6 grams, so garlic doesn’t contribute much to the daily recommended 250 grams of vegetables. For the same reason, you do not get much of the many vitamins and minerals in garlic. However, the bulb can make other vegetables a lot more attractive by seasoning them.
So healthy?
All kinds of healthy properties are attributed to garlic. Thus, it would strengthen your immune system and fight respiratory infections. In addition, it is said that the vegetable has an antibacterial effect and protects against cancer. However, there is insufficient scientific evidence for these statements.
However, most of the research with garlic is in the area of cardiovascular disease. Garlic seems to reduce the deposition of plaque on the arterial walls, but also reduces blood clotting. Scientific research shows slight indications for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Garlic is not very healthy for everyone: the bulbous plant can also cause an allergic reaction, flatulence, nausea and heartburn.
Odor
Garlic is, of course, best known for the breath and body odor it can cause. The culprits are the sulfur compounds. You do not digest some of these compounds with the intestines, but you absorb them into the blood. As a result, it is moved throughout the body and you therefore smell garlic not only from the mouth, but also from the pores in the skin. Parsley seems to neutralize this smell.
Buy and prepare
If you buy garlic, make sure the bulbs are firm and have no yellow spots. Dried garlic is best kept in a cool place. It can be stored in the freezer for one to three months.
You can finely chop or slice garlic. But the easiest is to use a garlic press. First, detach the clove from the bulb, remove the hard bottom of the toe and peel the skin from the toe. If the cloves are already starting to spread, it is best to remove the green-yellow core. Frying garlic takes about two to three minutes. For popping you have to count a little longer: about 45 minutes. Garlic burns quickly in hot oil and then becomes bitter.
