Garlic and Me

In my family garlic is a big part of our diet. Growing up in an Eastern European family, garlic has a strong tradition as a medicinal food. I remember my Dad making braun with a whole bulb of garlic, but only at the weekend so that we would have time to expel the odour before going back to work and school on Monday. When we were ill, our breakfast consisted of a soft boiled egg with garlic toast (a fresh clove of garlic rubbed onto the toast before adding butter or margarine) the taste is strong, but it did help with cold symptoms.

Another favourite dish in which fresh garlic was added was Hungarian bean soup, made with butter beans, carrots and a paprika base. When serving the soup we would crush fresh garlic into it and eat the soup with Polish rye bread. And of course we ate escargot with garlic butter (more garlic than butter and parsley), but pure heaven on the taste buds.

Garlic has been revered for thousands of years, the Egyptians and Greeks ate garlic both for its medicinal properties and to ward off vampires! Garlic is native to Asia, but spread throughout Europe growing especially well in southern France and Italy. There are varieties of wild species growing in the UK, including ‘wild garlic’, Allium ursinum and ‘field garlic’, Allium oleraceum. The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight sells locally grown garlic bulbs, including the ‘Solent Wight’ varieties.

Garlic’s antiviral and antibacterial properties have been well documented in studies and anecdotal evidence, however, garlic is also packed full of nutrients such B-vitamins, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus,  Potassium, Sodium, Zinc and trace amounts of Manganese and Selenium.

Garlic can be used in almost any dish, try spicing up roast potatoes with garlic and sage, or adding to tuna mayonnaise (chopped or crushed) or even just lightly frying some chopped or crushed garlic in some butter and olive oil, use small pieces of a baguette or other tasty bread for dipping as a starter.