Glorious Garlic

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that garlic has been widely prevalent throughout history for it’s symbolic properties, as well as medicinal purposes and therapeutic effects on health and vitality. Here are fourteen fun facts about garlic:

1. Hippocrates, the Greek physician, used to prescribe garlic to treat a variety of medical conditions.
2. Garlic is highly nutritious, containing small amounts of many critical nutrients, including: manganese, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Selenium, fiber, calcium, iron, potassium and trace amounts of other nutrients.
3. Garlic crops are heavily laden with 25 tons of chemicals annually to protect against nematodes and other pests. For this reason, it is one of the essential ingredients to buy organic.
4. Heads of garlic were among the treasures found in King Tutan-khamen’s tomb.
5. Allicin is the key component of garlic that relays health benefits including antibacterial properties, antioxidants, blood thinning and dissolving clots, improving both good and bad cholesterol levels, lowering triglycerides, lowering blood pressure, and protecting against colon cancer.
6. Although often considered an herb or spice, garlic is part of the Allium family of vegetables, along with onions, leeks, shallots, and chives.
7. Single cloves of garlic are planted in the fall, and produce new heads of garlic the following spring.
8. When buying garlic choose plump, firm heads with tight cloves.  If you find green sprouts growing from the tips of the cloves, this means that it is past it’s prime.
9. Ancient Egyptians imbued garlic with divinity and took their oaths on them.
10. Allicin gives garlic cloves their pungency.  The more and finer you chop garlic, the more allicin is created and the more pungent and flavorful it will be.
11. In ancient Greece, athletes and soldiers were given large amounts of garlic to improve their performance.
12. To remove garlic smell from your fingers, hold them under running water and rub a stainless steel object such as a knife.
13. When adding garlic to dishes, add it at the end of cooking for more flavor and to avoid burning.
14. Garlic contains antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative damage, and may help prevent dementia and Alzheimers.