Health Benefits and Super Cool Facts About Garlic – a Lesson in Spices!
How sad would life be without garlic ?! Can you even imagine living in a world without it ?!
No more garlic bread, no more shrimp scampi… How scary, right ? I could basically live on bruschetta alone. I mean how could someone even cook much without garlic ..? Would all Italian restaurants just go out of business ?!
Here are some amazing benefits and fun facts about garlic:
1. Garlic used to be called Russian penicillin & given to soldiers in WW2 as medicine.
2. Garlic is one of the healthiest foods on earth. Low in calories but very high in nutrition, with many health properties: anti blood coagulation, antioxidant, antiviral, antimicrobial, lowers cholesterol, reduces blood pressure, anticancer properties and really helps fight the common cold. The antioxidants may also help improve bone health and prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Crushing or mincing garlic releases it’s full potential. It tastes absolutely delicious and goes well with: steak, lemon butter, eggs, salmon, shrimp, parsley, olive oil and much more.
4. Garlic was one of the first herbs to be cultivated. It still grows wild today in Italy and France.
5. There are over 300 varieties of it on Planet Earth today. There are white, pink and violet varieties of garlic. Pure beauty!
6. Garlic is known to clear acne, simply rub a thin slice on a pimple before bed time.
7. Never ever burn garlic when cooking with it, or it will turn bitter, so keep a close eye on it.
8. Garlic cloves cooked whole will have a nutty and mellow taste, while minced or sliced garlic will have a more pungent taste even when cooked.
9. Wow, 90% of all the garlic in the United States comes from California.
10. National Garlic Day is April 19th.
11. Garlic contain 17 amino acids, and is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.
FAQ: What is the best way to store garlic ?
A: I store mine on the kitchen counter in a ventilated ceramic dish like this one and this one from amazon. You can also keep it in a wire basket or paper bag. Never store it in a plastic bag or sealed container, as that will make it sweat and cause mold to grow.
Garlic Recipes to Make:
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Rovana Chirileanu
May 27, 2011 at 4:24 pmI love garlic and its amazing healthy properties. It also makes dishes so flavorful!
Dorothy Brooks
March 6, 2017 at 6:49 pmQuestion: what is the best way to keep garlic? When I put it in the fridge after a few weeks it starts to get mold on it.
Florentina
March 8, 2017 at 2:42 pmOh so glad you asked because I meant to add this answer in the post. I store my garlic on the kitchen counter all year long, in a ventilated ceramic bowl with holes. You can use a wire basket as well. There are specific garlic storing dishes as well, I’ll try to find a link for them. Never store them in plastic bags as that cause them to sweat and mold will grow.