Garlic has its origins in Central Asia. From there it has been distributed over the centuries to other parts of the world. Due to the vast distribution areas, garlic had to adapt to a wide range of climates. Though it generally requires a cold winter and a warm summer in order for reasonable bulb formation to occur, there is some variation. Today’s hardneck varieties still prefer a cold winter and warm summer, but softnecks are often grown and thrive in warmer climates.
Unknown to most North Americans, there are hundreds of garlic cultivars. The reason most of us don’t know this is because commercial producers (the majority of which come from China and California) all grow the same type. The kind we’ve been buying from our grocery stores is of the Artichoke variety. These are commonly called softneck garlic as they don’t produce a flower stalk.
Artichoke garlic is easiest to deal with from a commercial production point of view, because there is no flower stalk and the bulbs are easier to clean and process. However, the garlic that does produce a flower stalk (commonly known as hardneck) is closest to garlic’s genetic roots, and is some of the best tasting garlic there is.
Garlic Varieties
Garlic is part of the Allium family, of which onions, leeks and chives are also members. The two main garlic species of this genus are divided into softnecks (var. sativum) and hardnecks (var. ophioscorodon).
1. Hardneck Garlic
Hardneck garlic gets its name from the stiff flower stalks of the plants. The flower stalks are also known as scapes and are removed in early spring to promote bulb growth. The scapes are delicious and can be pickled, used as a vegetable, or made into pesto. Hardneck garlic tends to have fewer cloves than softneck varieties, with the cloves circled around a central stalk and are rather uniform in size.
Hardneck garlic includes three distinct varieties:
Porcelain Garlic: Porcelain garlic is usually a plump bulb with only a few very large cloves. They are covered in a very thick outer skin, which promotes a longer storage life. Porcelains tend to be intense in flavour, but are not particularly complex in character.
Rocambole: Rocamboles have thinner skins than softneck varieties. These thin skinned bulbs don't store very long, but peel easily. The flavour tends to be rich and complex, and they are considered to be some of the best tasting garlic there is. However, they have thin skins, which contributes to a rather short storage life.
Purple Stripe Garlic: Purple Stripe garlic is generally striped with purple! They are strongly bolting, requiring the removal of the scape, if a reasonably large bulb is desired. They tend to be rich in flavour, and delicious when sautéed. Also, they have a fairly long storage life.
Sub-varieties: Marbled Purple Stripe and Glazed Purple Stripe. Marbled and Glazed have bigger and fewer cloves than those of the Purple Stripe variety. Glazed Purple Stripes are rich in flavour and have a medium storage life. Marbled Purple Stripes also store reasonably well, but are not as rich and complex in flavour as the Glazed Purple Stripe.
FYI – some believe these two sub-varieties to actually be true varieties, and separate from the Purple Stripe group.
2. Softneck Garlic
Softneck garlic is well adapted to warmer climates. As mentioned before, it is softneck garlic that you are likely to find in the grocery store, because it stores and travels better than hardneck types.
The two main softneck varieties are:
Artichoke: Artichokes are the most commonly-grown commercial garlic. They have a couple of concentric rows of cloves and tend to be very difficult to peel. But they produce and store well, and you will almost always find them at the grocery store. This variety is generally mild in flavour.
Silverskin: Silverskins have silvery, white skins and many small cloves. They have a strong neck that is easily braided. The flavour is usually spicier than Artichokes, and they are one of the longest storing garlics.
3. Creole Garlic: Creoles are well suited to hot climates and even enjoy a bit of drought. They are generally grown in the southern United States. They are weakly bolting, which means some produce a scape and some don’t. For those that do, it is necessary to remove the scape in order to produce a good sized bulb. Creoles have a sweet flavour, and tend to be long storers.
4. Asiatic Garlic: Asiatic garlic is a bolting variety, although the scapes do not need to be removed in order for the bulb to produce large bulbs. They have great flavour, and tend to store well.
5. Turban Garlic: Turban garlic is weakly bolting and have the shortest storage life. They produce large bulbs and are very hot raw, but lose most of their heat when cooked.
6. Elephant Garlic: Elephant Garlic gets its name from its large size. It is actually not garlic at all, but a type of bulb-forming leek. It is of the Allium Ampeloprasum species and has a very mild, earthy flavour.
Cultivars that we have available
Persian Star - (also known as Samarkand) is a Purple Stripe. It is complex and rich in flavour and is full of character. So far, the Persian Star cultivar is the tastiest garlic we’ve ever tried. It’s very good raw. Add a crushed clove to a salad dressing or stir it into a bowl of pasta or soup just before you eat it.
Salsa - a Silverskin. This garlic came to us as a generic variety, with no cultivar name. But we do recognize it as a Silverskin, and have decided to give it our own name. This cultivar is hot and spicy. In other words it packs a punch! It can be overpowering to some when raw, but is delicious sautéed or roasted. This is the one to choose if you really want that garlic flavour to express itself in your cooking. Also, as noted above, it has a very long storage life.
Cultivars in our Test Garden
Chesnok Red - a Purple Stripe
German Red, Russian Red, Spicy Korean Red - Rocamboles
Majestic, Music, and Yugoslovian - Porcelains
Garlic Chemistry
There are three main elements of garlic that play a part in its flavour and therapeutic effects:
• The sulfur compound Alliin – necessary in the creation of Allicin, it does not have flavour, odor or any therapeutic benefits.
• The enzyme Alliinase – interacts with Aliin to produce Allicin and other sulfur compounds, creating odor and flavour. Freezing, heating or adding acid neutralizes it.
• The sulfur compound Allicin – responsible for garlic’s unique flavour and aroma, as well as its therapeutic benefits. Heat destroys it.
Aliinase and Aliin are in separate cells of garlic cloves, and are only brought together when the cell walls are destroyed by crushing, chopping or slicing a clove.
When Aliinase and Aliin interact, they create the sulfur compound Allicin. A whole clove of garlic has no smell because it doesn’t contain Allicin. Crush it or chop it though and you have the familiar pungent odor filling the room.
Cooking
Bringing Aliinase and Aliin together produces not just Allicin, but results in the creation of many more sulfur compounds that contribute to flavor and therapeutic benefits.
Acid and heat deactivate the enzyme Aliinase and destroy Allicin. But crushing or chopping prior to cooking creates other sulfur compounds which add to flavour, and apparently have therapeutic benefits.
Tips:
• If you want to keep the Allicin, but add an acid (such as in a salad dressing), crush the garlic separately before incorporating your acid.
• You can incorporate crushed garlic in an already prepared dish (such as pasta or soup) and you will keep the Allicin active as long as the dish is warm and not still cooking. Allicin is only destroyed by heat if it is cooked.
• Adding raw crushed garlic to a finished dish just before serving adds a tremendous amount of flavor.
• Roasted garlic, although loved by many, never produces Allicin as the cloves are not crushed or chopped prior to roasting.
Therapeutic Benefits
Garlic is said to have the following therapeutic benefits:
• Lowers blood pressure
• Lowers bad cholesterol levels
• Is a natural antibiotic, antifungal, antibacterial agent
• Is a powerful antioxidant if aged - antioxidants can help to protect the body against damaging free radicals
For scientific evidence of these statements, searching the Internet will produce many reliable resources. An excellent book on this subject is “Garlic and Other Alliums: The Lore and the Science” by Eric Block.
To find out more about the healing qualities of garlic, an excellent book to read on the subject is “The Healing Power of Garlic” by Paul Bergner.
