Preparing Garlic for
Cooking
The bulb should be round and firm to the touch. Once the bulb is
broken open, the thin skin of the cloves or segments, must be
carefully peeled in order to obtain the garlic. When preparing
garlic for cooking recipes, it is advisable to either chop the
clove finely or crush it with a garlic crusher.
Sometimes there will be a small
amount of green running through the centre of the clove and this
is fine to eat. The garlic cooks quicker when it is chopped or
crushed and it is also distributed more evenly. Crushing it is
ideal if you are making a sauce, dip or paste.
Garlic has a strong flavor so be
careful not to add too much to you cooking recipe. In general,
the smaller the bulb, the stronger the flavor. Garlic bulbs are
available to buy as individual bulbs, in bunches or on strings.
Also, the hotter the climate where the growing process has taken
place, the stronger the flavor is likely to be.
Storing Garlic
Garlic bulbs should be stored in a cool, dry place. It should
not be exposed to damp or warm temperatures during the storage
process.
Garlic Breath Remedy
It is a known fact that garlic makes your breath smell! The odor
can linger for some time after eating this vegetable and there
isn't too much that can be done to prevent it. This is a
nutritional vegetable but is by no means odourless.
Chewing parsley can reduce the
effects but it will not completely cure it. However, if you are
in the company of other people who are also eating garlic then
the smell will go unnoticed.
The History of Garlic
Garlic has been around for centuries. The Egyptian pyramids have
inscriptions and models of garlic which signify the importance
of this vegetable and also that it must have held ceremonial
meaning during these historic times.
The Greeks and Romans believed it
was so powerful that it gave them strength when heading into
battle!
Garlic has great healing qualities and benefits,
and some people believe that it actually wards off the bad. This
is a therapeutic vegetable that provides great health and
nutritional benefits.
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