Freeze-Dried Garlic - Sichuan

Garlic is a variety of perennial vegetable plant with bulbs easily recognizable by their smell and taste. It is commonly used as a condiment in cuisines around the world, but it can also be a food in its own right. We can see in one of the following paragraphs that it is even considered as a "medicine" as it is full of health-giving powers.

The Garlic Harvest

Allium Sativum" garlic is rather easy to grow and grows as a bulb in any type of environment, reaching a height of 50 to 120 cm. The "head" is eaten, which is made up of several cloves. Do the leaves turn yellow? This indicates that it is time to harvest.

The time between planting and harvesting varies greatly: between 4 and 9 months depending on the planting period. It is preferable to harvest garlic in dry, sunny weather.

Did you know that? In France, garlic is harvested at the end of the summer, after the "knotting" process that allows the plant to finish ripening on the ground.

David Vanilla's choice: I have chosen to offer you this condiment in its freeze-dried form, which allows you to have Garlic at your disposal at any time while enjoying all of its flavors

The different varieties of garlic

There are different varieties of garlic:

• Early white garlic: "Thermidrome", "Messidrome", "blanc de la Drôme", early varieties
• Pink garlic from Auvergne: a semi-hot spring variety
• Le Gayant d'Artois: a spring variety found in the north of France
• Purple garlic: "Germidour", "Vilet de Cadours", early and autumnal varieties with high yields

Did you know that? : China is the largest producer of garlic. It accounts for 80% of the world's production.

The origins of garlic

Used for its nutritional and medicinal values for 5 millennia, garlic has its origins in the plains of Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan. It then spread to the Chinese regions before reaching the Mediterranean basin. Herodotus is said to have mentioned that the first social conflict in history was provoked by the suppression of the garlic ration usually given to Egyptian workers in charge of the construction of the Pyramid of Cheops.

Its medicinal values were quickly recognized, which is why Garlic was prescribed to Greek athletes (because of its vasodilating properties), to Roman soldiers in the field, and, according to Virgil, to harvesters during the great heat, in order to bring them strength and vigor. In other cultures, it could also be badly perceived (notably because of its organoleptic power when ingested, as well as its digestion). Thus, in 1330, the Castilian king Alfonso Alfonso established an order which stated that any knight who ingested garlic could not appear at court or trade with other knights for a minimum of one month.

It was notably through the Romans that garlic was introduced into France, and it marked each region by its taste and smell, which were associated with the local culinary tradition. But it is in Provence that Garlic made its letters of nobility.

Alexandre Dumas even says "The air in Provence is impregnated with a garlic scent that makes it very healthy to breathe: it is the main condiment in bouillabaisse and in the main sauces. We make it, crushed with oil, a kind of mayonnaise that we eat with fish and snails. The lunch of the lower class Provencal people often consists of a crouton of bread, sprinkled with oil and rubbed with garlic".

Alphonse Daudet praised garlic for its medicinal benefits, saying that people who were almost dying were put back on their feet by preparing two or three plates of garlic soup.

This plant having been imported into Europe thanks to the Crusaders, and having enabled the plague to be partially eradicated, it was quickly attributed anti-demonic powers.

Garlic customs and stories

In the history of different countries, we find anecdotes where garlic has an important place:

• In France: It is said that the grandfather of the future King Henry IV had the newborn's lips rubbed with a clove of Garlic to give him strength and power, and protect him from any curse (it is also said that it was the very regular consumption of garlic that made him a famous lover). In the Middle Ages, children were also made to wear garlic braids around their necks to protect them from witches and other vampires.
• In Siberia: The Buryat beliefs let us believe that a smell of Garlic would come from the passage of the souls of women who died in childbirth
• In Borneo: The Bataks give the Garlic the power to find lost souls..
• In India: it protects from the evil eye when tying bouquets of Garlic with red wool.

Did you know that? In the Mediterranean basin, hanging a braid or a bunch of garlic in front of your house helps to protect your home from any misfortune.

Other uses of garlic

For thousands of years, Garlic has been seen as a key element in all pharmacopoeias. Homer, Hippocrates, Aristophanes... All have mentioned garlic in their stories as a miraculous food.

Today, it is undoubtedly referred to as a "alicament" (a food with proven medicinal properties). One of the secrets of this miraculous plant lies in one of the molecules it contains: allicin. If this molecule is at the origin of its particular smell, it is also the one that gives it so many powers.

Garlic is especially for

• The cardiovascular system: If there is one plant that is highly recommended to improve and preserve the cardiovascular system, it is Garlic. In addition, it helps to reduce the problems of blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides. The saponins contained in Garlic also contribute to this protection of the cardiac system.
• The immune system: Garlic has always been used to fight all the infections that the body can experience. It has proven antimicrobial and anti-infectious properties. It is in itself an excellent antibiotic thanks to the allicin it contains. You can prepare real home remedies against sore throats or mosquito bites, based on Garlic.
• The digestive system: Although Garlic is not the food best digested by everyone, it nevertheless helps to preserve the digestive system from any attack of intestinal worms. It is said to be antihelmintic
• To slow down cellular ageing: The flavonoids and tocopherols contained in Garlic make it possible to slow down the degradation and the ageing of the cells. Thus, these molecules make it possible to fight cardiovascular diseases, but also certain cancers.

How to use garlic in cooking?

Garlic is a plant that has been consumed for thousands of years throughout the world. It is highly appreciated, especially in France, to the point of becoming an integral part of French culinary traditions. Freeze-dried garlic is appreciated for its long shelf life and ease of use.

Garlic has a taste that is unmistakable. Ideal to bring a Mediterranean touch to a dish, it is eaten fresh, usually minced, freeze-dried (powder) or in cloves for marinades or to season meat. The great talent of this condiment is to sublimate all types of dishes, whether used raw or cooked, while contributing to your overall physical well-being.

Garlic can be used minced, whole, in shirts, or in strips, all of which will allow you to use it in your raw or cooked dishes. It is rather well suited to cooking as long as it is incorporated in a sauce or cooking juice.

In its freeze-dried version, all you have to do is sprinkle the equivalent of half a teaspoon over your preparation to benefit from its full range of aromas.

Our recipe ideas with freeze-dried garlic

Want to discover the flavour of my garlic powder? In addition to my recipes on the blog, I have composed a 3-course menu where garlic is very present and reveals all its aromas.

The starter: Snails in garlic butter

This traditional French starter is a recipe from the Burgundy region. Chives, parsley, shallots and garlic are blonded before being covered with butter ointment. It remains to mix well and stuff the snails' shells with a piping bag. Bake... excellent with a good white wine or tidy and country bread!

The dish : Seafood and garlic risotto

Garlic enhances the taste of seafood risotto. To make a good risotto, you just have to blond onions in a little white wine and then add the Arborio rice. Once the rice is translucent, add some stock and watch the cooking. Sauté the seafood in a pan with garlic. Add to the cooked rice. You can also spice the rice with saffron as in a paella. In this recipe freeze-dried garlic replaces minced garlic.

Dessert: Garlic chocolate brownies

Garlic goes wonderfully with chocolate. It develops its aromas. Simply add freeze-dried garlic to your brownies pastry. This recipe can also be made with black garlic. How to store garlic? Garlic heads can be stored at room temperature in a dry, airy place away from light. We recommend storing freeze-dried garlic in an airtight container. It will thus retain all its taste properties.

How to store garlic?

Garlic heads can be stored at room temperature in a dry, airy place away from light. We recommend storing freeze-dried garlic in an airtight container. It will thus retain all its taste properties.