Garlic
Allium sativum
Sharp, pungent, sulfurous raw; mellows to deep sweet umami when slow-cooked or roasted whole; pickled garlic is sweet and crisp.
About Garlic
Garlic is the single most-used vegetable seasoning across global cuisine — Italian, French, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, and American cooking all rely on garlic as a foundational aromatic. The papery white head holds 8-15 individual cloves; each clove contains alliin, which converts to allicin (the pungent active compound) only when cells are damaged via crushing, slicing, or chewing. Soft-neck garlic (long-storing, supermarket standard, California-grown) dominates American supply; hard-neck garlic (more flavor-intense, shorter-storing, common at farmers markets) is preferred by serious cooks. Black garlic — fermented at low heat for weeks — is a distinct preparation with sweet, balsamic, umami notes.
Variety profile
Common uses
- Sautéed in nearly all savory cooking
- Roasted whole garlic spread
- Garlic confit
- Aioli
- Garlic-and-anchovy bagna cauda
Editorial notes
Pre-peeled refrigerated garlic loses the volatile sulfur compounds within days. Whole heads stored in cool, dry conditions last months and retain full flavor.