In Pursuit of Garlic (16 page)
Read In Pursuit of Garlic Online
Authors: Liz Primeau
Learning about garlic
has taken me to many sources over many years, starting with the little Italian restaurant I stum- bled into when I was seventeen. Its chef never realized what an impact his garlic-laden spaghetti and meatballs had on me, but I feel it necessary to thank him, wherever he is. I hope he’s still happily cooking with garlic. I’m also grateful to other cooks of my youth who showed me how to use garlic in the kitchen, by example or just because they were daring enough—depending on their nationality—to use it.
After I started to grow garlic, thanks to the insistence of my friend Judith, the pace of my learning picked up. The speakers at the garlic fairs I attended provided me with bits of knowledge I scribbled in my notebook, and many books filled my brain with facts and fables about this unsung little vegetable, including its long history as a valuable medicine. On this note I especially want to thank Dr. Eric Block of the chemistry department at the University at Albany, State University of New York, author of the fascinating and informative
Garlic and Other Alliums: The Lore and the Science,
who gave me permission to refer to the material in his book, and I have done so liberally. Ted Jordan Meredith’s
The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers, and Serious Cooks,
was also a helpful resource. Longtime garlic lover and author Chester Aaron inspired me with his spirit and sent me his books to read. Paul Pospisil, editor of the
Garlic News,
which is an endless source of information in itself, answered my questions over the phone even while he was standing out in his garlic field.
I will be eternally grateful to Pauline Danigo in Lautrec, France, who translated for me on the day of the festival. Without her I would have been lost. My thanks also to Adrien Mucciante of Lautrec’s tourist board, who made the village’s history come alive for me; to Chrystel Pardessus of the Syndicat de Défense du Label Rouge, who explained the rules surrounding the growing of pink garlic; and to Dominique and Philippe Ducoudray, our gracious hosts at the enchanting Terrasse de Lautrec, who served delicious French breakfasts in their centuries-old garden, reputedly designed by the late, great André Le Nôtre.
Peter Ciccarelli, who handles media relations for the Gilroy Garlic Festival, saw that we had easy access to almost everything at the festival, and Larry Mickartz, owner and creative cook at Fitzgerald House bed and breakfast, generously acted as chauffeur on several occasions. Thanks again to you both.
Nancy Flight, associate publisher of Greystone Books, was a wonderful support during the writing of this book, asking for a little bit more here and a little less there in the most tactful terms. Barbara Czarnecki was a sensitive and intuitive copy editor on all fronts, but especially in helping to untangle the metric/imperial measurements and suggesting several stylish ways to circumvent them altogether.
Thanks also to my friends and family, who listened politely for a couple of years as I droned on about garlic’s underestimated medicinal value, the politics of garlic (yes, they exist), and all the wonderful new cultivars available to us today. I apologize for becoming a garlic bore.
Below is a list of some of the places to buy garlic, to taste it, to celebrate it, and to read about it. It’s far from exhaustive, but the Web, catalogs, and local media will yield more.
United States
EAT, DRINK, & STINK
Easton Garlic Fest
Easton, Pennsylvania
www.eastongarlicfest.com
Early October
GARLIC & HARVEST FESTIVAL
Bethlehem, Connecticut
www.garlicfestct.com
October, 2 days
GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL
Gilroy, California
www.gilroygarlicfestival.com
Friday to Sunday, Last Weekend of July
HUDSON VALLEY GARLIC FESTIVAL
Saugerties, New York
www.hudsonvalleygarlic.com
Late September, 2 days
MINNESOTA GARLIC FESTIVAL
Hutchinson, Minnesota
www.sfa-mn.org/garlicfest/
Mid-August, 1 day
NORTH QUABBIN GARLIC & ARTS FESTIVAL
Orange, Massachusetts
www.garlicandarts.org
October, 2 days
NORTHWEST GARLIC FESTIVAL
Ocean Park, Washington
www.opwa.com
http://www.opwa.com/Ocean_Park_Events/ocean_park_events.html
Late June, 2 days
SOUTHERN VERMONT GARLIC & HERB FESTIVAL
Bennington, Vermont
www.lovegarlic.com
Early September, 2 days
HILLS GARLIC FESTIVAL
New Denver, British Columbia
www.hillsgarlicfest.ca
Mid-September, 1 day
PERTH LIONS GARLIC FESTIVAL
Perth, Ontario
www.perthgarlicfestival.com
August, 2 days
STE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE GARLIC FESTIVAL
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec
http://goingtoseed.wordpress.com
Late August, 1 day
SOUTH CARIBOO GARLIC FESTIVAL
Lac La Hache, British Columbia
www.garlicfestival.ca
Late August, 2 days
STINKING ROSE GARLIC FESTIVAL
Watershed Farm
Baker Settlement, Nova Scotia
Late October, 1 day
STRATFORD GARLIC FESTIVAL
Stratford, Ontario
www.stratfordgarlicfestival.com
Mid-September, 2 days
FÊTE DE L’AIL ROSE
Lautrec, France
www.ailrosedelautrec.com
First Friday in August, 1 day
United States
BALDOR SPECIALTY FOODS
155 Food Center Drive
Bronx, New York 10474
718-860-9100
www.baldorfood.com
Ail Rose de Lautrec and smoked pink garlic, available in season only.
CATSKILL MERINO SHEEP FARM
15@ Phillips Place
Goshen, New York 10924
www.catskill-merino.com
Organic garlic grown in manure-enriched soil.
FILAREE FARM
182 Conconully Highway
Okanogan, Washington 98840
www.filareefarm.com
A major vendor of a wide range of cultivars.
THE GARLIC STORE
5313 Mail Creek Lane
Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
www.TheGarlicStore.com
Certified organic garlic.
GOURMET GARLIC GARDENS
Bangs, Texas 76823
www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com
Large website, growing and cooking information, online farmers’ market with many varieties to order.
SWEDE LAKE FARMS AND GLOBAL GARLIC
Watertown, Minnesota 55388
www.greatnorthernseedgarlic.com
Organic hardneck varieties.
AUGUST’S HARVEST
4727 Road 130 RR #2
Gadshill, Ontario N0K 1J0
www.augustsharvest.com
Certified organic garlic and shallots.
BEAVER POND ESTATES
3656 Bolingbroke Road
Maberly, Ontario K0H 2B0
Certified organic, 120 proven strains.
BOUNDARY GARLIC FARM
Box 273
Midway, British Columbia V0H 1M0
www.garlicfarm.ca
Large website, growing advice. About fifty varieties for sale via mail order; certified organic, heritage.
CLEAR SKY FARM
P.O. Box 19
Fort Steele, British ColumbiaV0B 1N0
www.clearskyfarm.ca
About a dozen organic hardneck varieties. Also pickled scapes, garlic chutney.
THE CUTTING VEG
25178 Valleyview Drive
Sutton West, Ontario L0E 1R0
www.thecuttingveg.com
Organic, including Persian, Tibetan, Ukrainian, Korean, Italian, Yugoslavian, Sicilian.
EUREKA GARLIC
RR #6
Kensington, Prince Edward Island C0B 1M0
Many varieties, no chemicals.
MY FATHER’S GARLIC PATCH
1262 Cape Bear Road
Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island C0A 1V0
Organic garlic and veggies.
SALT SPRING SEEDS
Box 444, Ganges P.O.
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia V8K 2W1
www.saltspringseeds.com
Dedicated to sustainable agriculture. Large variety of garlic.
Garlic News
3656 Bolingbroke Road
Maberly, Ontario K0H 2B0
BLACK GARLIC INC.
www.blackgarlic.com
THE GARLIC MILL
AMPM Distribution
ZA Borio Novo
81570 Vielmur sur Agout
France
www.ampmdistribution.com
MICROPLANE RASPS
http://ca.microplane.com/microplanekitchentools.aspx
LEE VALLEY TOOLS
www.leevalley.com
THE ULU FACTORY
211 West Ship Creek Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99501-1603
www.theulufactory.com
Aaron, Chester.
The Great Garlic Book: A Guide with Recipes.
Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1997.
———.
Garlic Is Life: A Memoir with Recipes.
Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1996.
Block, Eric.
Garlic and Other Alliums: The Lore and the Science.
Cambridge, UK: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010.
Harris, Lloyd J.
The Book of Garlic, Revised Edition: New Recipes & Remedies, Folklore and Medical Data.
San Francisco, CA: Addison-Wesley, 1980.
———.
The Official Garlic Lovers Handbook.
San Francisco, CA: Aris Books, 1986.
Meredith, Ted Jordan.
The Complete Book of Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners, Growers, and Serious Cooks.
Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2008.
Renoux, Victoria.
For the Love of Garlic: The Complete Guide to Garlic Cuisine.
Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publishers, 2005.
Blank, Les.
Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers.
El Cerrito, CA: Flower Films, 1980.
Numbers refer to pages in the print edition
Aaron, Chester, 21, 47, 78–79, 133
acids, 136, 143
A Controversial Cure, 19
Acrolepiopsis assectella
(leek moth), 78
Ail Rose de Lautrec.
see
pink garlic
Alice’s Restaurant Cookbook
(Brock), 25
aligot,
123–24
allicin, 18, 131–32, 134–35, 140, 148
alliinase, 131
Allium ampeloprasum
(elephant garlic), 140
Allium canadense
(meadow garlic or wild shallot), 57
Allium longicuspis
(wild garlic), 9–10
Allium sativum
(cultivated garlic).
see also
garlic: about, 3–4; growing, 66–70; harvesting, 79–81; origins, 9–11; pests, 74–79; planting, 54–66; procreation, 11
Allium sphaerocephalon
(drumstick allium), 60
Allium tricoccum
(ramp), 57
Allium tuncelianum
(wild garlic), 10
Allium vineale
(crow garlic), 57
American garlic industry, 98
A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
6
Anglo-Saxon heritage, 33–34
Anna (cleaner and cook), 42–46
Anna’s Sauce, 44–45
antibacterial properties, 18–20, 24
antifungal properties, 20, 21, 24
Antifungal Toenail Remedy, 21
antioxidants, 154
antiparasitic properties, 20–21, 24
antiviral properties, 22
aphrodisiac, 7
architecture, depictions of garlic, 4–5
Argentina, 103, 142
art, depictions of garlic, 4–5
Artichoke softneck, 179–80
Asian cuisine, 35
Asiatic hardneck, 172, 177
A Study in Tubercle Virus, Polymorphism, and the Treatment of Tuberculosis and Lupus with Oleum Allii
(Minchin), 19
A Young Woman Crushing Garlic
(painting), 4
babies, and garlic, 68
Babylonian Collection, Yale University, 6
Baer, Arthur, 87
Bangkok, 101
Barbecue Tips from the Twelfth Century, 39
Barthe, Jacqueline, 117–19, 166–67
Beauchamp, Gary, 68
Beaver Pond Estates, 14
Beeton, Isabella, 34
Beeton’s Book of Household Management
(Beeton), 34
Belize Love Potion, 7
Berlin Wall, 14
Berry, Margee, 106, 108, 156–57
Bingen, Hildegard von, 8
black garlic, fermented, 153–54
Blank, Les, 15, 93, 94, 165
Block, Eric, 20, 21, 22, 24, 68, 145
blood-thinning properties, 23–24
Bolognese sauce, 33–34
bolting hardnecks, 172
Bottéro, Jean, 6
botulism
(Clostridium botulinum),
143
Bower Manuscript, 8, 63, 77
breast-feeding, 68
breath, garlic, 4, 7, 20, 35, 38, 133, 150
Britannia, 35–37
Brock, Alice May, 25
Brotherhood of Pink Garlic (Confrérie de l’Ail Rose), 112, 113, 114–17, 126
brotherhood of stonecutters, 114
bug killer, garlic as, 75
bulbils, 65–66, 68, 152
Calcutta
Telegraph,
102
‘California Early,’ 92, 124
‘California Late,’ 92–93
Canada, 95, 98–99, 103–4, 127
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 78
Canadian garlic festivals, 127
cancer studies, 22–23
cantina
(kitchen), 49–50
cardiovascular disease, 23–24
Casa Batlló, 4
cats, 49
Cavallito, Chester, 18–19
celibacy, 7–8
Celtic cuisine, 35–36
Cervantes, Miguel de, 4, 10
Charlie Trotter’s, 153
chemical compounds, 131–32
China, 88, 95, 97, 103–5, 145
China Daily
(newspaper), 105
Chinese garlic, 95–101, 104
chopping garlic, 136–38
“Chopping Garlic” (poem), 129
Chris (author’s partner), 86, 111–27, 157–58
Chrissy (author’s daughter-in-law), 141
Christianity, 8
Christmas Hill Park, 88
Christopher, Bill, 106
Christopher, Don, 94–97, 104
Christopher Ranch, 92, 95, 100, 142
Clostridium botulinum
(botulism), 143
Collegiate Church of Saint Rémy, 112
Comfort Me with Apples
(Reichl), 31
commodity, garlic as a, 105, 149
Complete Book of Garlic, The
(Meredith), 79
Confrérie de l’Ail Rose, 112, 113, 114–17, 126
Confrérie de la Poule au Pot et Fromage de Barousse, 114–15
Confrérie de la Poule Farcie, 114–15
Confrérie de l’Omelette Géante, 114–15
confréries,
114–15, 126
cooking garlic: chopping, 136–38; prepping, 136–38; purée, 144; roasting, 141; sautéing, 135, 144; scallions, 152
Cook-Off Stage, 93–94
The Cook’s Decameron: A Study in Taste
(Waters), 122
Coppola, Francis Ford, 7
Corbeil, Fernande, 121
Cordon Bleu, 138
Creole hardneck, 82, 125, 134, 172, 178–79
crop rotation, 74
crow garlic
(Allium vineale),
57
currency, garlic as, 5
Danigo, Pauline, 113–19, 166–67
‘Dan’s Russian,’ 66
dehydrators, 145–46, 148–49
De Materia Medica
(Dioscorides), 17
de Maupassant, Guy, 4
desire and garlic, 7–8
d’Este, Beatrice, 56
de Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri, 113
Dioscorides, 16–17
disease prevention, human, 6, 105
diseases, garlic, 73, 74–75
dogs, 49
Don, George, 9
Don Quixote de la Mancha, 10
Dracula
(Stoker), 6
drumstick allium
(Allium sphaerocephalon),
60
drying garlic, 145–46, 148
Dumas, Alexandre, 83
Egypt, 88, 103
elephant garlic
(Allium ampeloprasum),
140
escargot
(Helix pomatia),
36
European Anti-Fraud Office, 102
European Union, 102
“Eyetalian” spaghetti sauce, 40–42
fabounade,
125–26
fermented black garlic, 153–54
fertilizer, 73–74
Fête de l’Ail Rose festival, 86, 112–27
Filice, Val, 94
‘Fish Lake #3,’ 54, 64, 66
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 103
France, 38, 86, 111–27
freezing, 143–44, 148
fungi, 75–77
gadgets, kitchen, 138–39
garlic.
see also
Allium sativum
(cultivated garlic): greens, 152–53; keepers, 141; powder, 33, 40–42, 45, 147–48; presses, 131, 138–39; products, 147–49; sculpture, 122–23; twisters, 140; vinegar, 147
Garlic and Other Alliums
(Block), 20, 21, 22, 68
Garlic Growers Association of Ontario, 98, 99
Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers
(film), 93, 94, 165
Garlic Is Life
(Aaron), 21, 78
Garlic Kisses
(Aaron), 21, 78
Garlic News,
14, 78, 139
Garlic Showdown, 110
Garlic’s Wild Cousins, 57
Gaudí, Antoni, 4
‘German Red,’ 134
Gilroy, California, 85–95, 127
Gilroy Foods, 88, 93
Gilroy Garlic Festival, 86–95, 127
Gilroy High School, 89
Glazed Purple Stripe hardneck, 174–75
Globe and Mail,
153
Goodwin, Michael, 93
gophers, 78
Gourmet Alley, 89, 90–91
Grad, Laurie Burrows, 59
grande manouille,
126
Grandma (author’s grandmother), 31–32, 34–35, 91
grasshoppers, 78
graters, 139–40
Great Garlic Book, The
(Aaron), 21, 47, 78
Great Garlic Cook-Off, 106–10
Great Pyramid of Cheops, 5
green garlic, 96, 145, 151–52
growing garlic: crop rotation, 74; diseases, 74–76; fertilizer, 73–74; fungi, 75–77; insect infestations, 77–78; mold, 75; pests, 74–79; site selection, 68–69; soil preparation, 69–70; viruses, 74–75; watering, 72–74; weather, 67, 68–69; white rot, 77
H1N1 virus, 105
Ham, Warren, 99–100, 103
Hangzhou, China, 105
hardiness, 11, 172
hardneck
(Allium sativum
var.
ophioscorodon).
see also
specific subgroups
: about, 172; bolting, 172; cooking, 137; growing, 67; hardiness, 11; harvesting, 79–80; origins, 8–10; procreation, 11; scapes, 63, 79, 82, 149–51, 172; storing, 82
harvesting, 79–81
healing properties, 15–19, 24
health benefits of garlic: antioxidants, 154; aphrodisiac, 7; cardiovascular disease, 23–24; disease-fighting properties, 18–21, 24; disease prevention, 6, 105; guidelines for, 133; medicinal properties, 4, 15, 19–20, 24, 85, 105; Roman soldiers use, 5; strength, physical, 4, 13, 37; tuberculosis, 19; as wonder drug, 16
Helicobacter pylori,
20
herbs, 36
Historia Naturalis
(Pliny the Elder), 16
Holland Marsh region, Ontario, 106
Huang, John, 104–5
Imperial Botanical Garden, 9
imported garlic, 97–101, 104
India, 88, 102, 103
Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP), 116, 118
insect infestations, 77–78
intrinsic value of garlic, 5
Iron Chef America,
153
Isalis tinctoria
(woad), 113
Italian immigrants, 31–32
Italian restaurant story, 27–31, 32
Japan, 35, 98
Jinan Yipin Corp. Ltd., 97
Joe (author’s former husband), 27–31, 38–39
Judith (author’s friend), 53–63, 66
Kim, Scott, 153–54
King Su-Su’en, 13
Kipling, Rudyard, 4–5
kitchen tools and gadgets, 138–39
Korea, 101
Label Rouge, 116, 118
Laos, 101
Lautrec, France, 111–27
leaf blade, 61
leaf sheath, 61, 62
leek moth
(Acrolepiopsis assectella),
78
leeks, 6, 9, 36, 77
Lee Valley Tools, 139
Le Nôtre, André, 112
Levy, Faye, 142
Linnaeus, Carolus, 9
literature about garlic, 4–5
Loblaw Companies Limited, 104
Maczka, Ted, 54, 71–72, 133
Malcolm, Penny, 107–8, 167–69
“Mandalay” (poem), 4–5
manouilles,
111, 122, 124, 125, 126
Marbled Purple Stripe hardneck, 175
Marco Polo, 12–13
marriage and garlic, 7
meadow garlic
(Allium canadense),
57
meat, Roman, 36
medicinal properties, 4, 15, 19–20, 24, 85, 105
Melone, John, 165
Melone, Rudy, 94–95, 165
Menghui, Cao, 97
Mennella, Julie, 68
Meredith, Ted, 79
Merges, Matthias, 153
Mesopotamians, 5, 8, 13
Mexico, 99, 142
Microplane grater, 140
microwaving, 146–47
Middle Ages, 37–38, 114
Minchin, William C., 19
Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival, 90
molds, 75
Mom (author’s mother), 34–35
Monell Chemical Senses Center, 68
monks, 37–38
Monterey County, 95
Morgan Stanley, 105
moths, 78
‘Mount Currie,’ 66
mouthwash, 20
‘Music,’ 104
Myanmar, 103
Nation’s Restaurant News,
153
Neolithic period, 4, 12–13
Nepal, 102
No Garlic for Fido, 49
North America, 34, 57, 66, 97, 172
Nouveau Moulin à Ail, 140
odor, body, 133, 150
odor, garlic, 18, 28–30, 42, 45, 136, 148, 154
oil, garlic, 143–44
Ontario, 98–99, 103, 106, 127
‘Ontario Giant,’ 104
Ordre de la Dive Bouteille de Gaillac, 115
oven drying, 146
Pakistan, 99
Parmesan, 47, 48
Pasteur, Louis, 17
peeled garlic, 148–49
‘Persian Star,’ 66
pesticide, garlic as, 75
pests, 74–75
pets, 49
Philippines, 99
pink garlic (Ail Rose de Lautrec), 85–86, 92, 111–12, 115, 116, 120, 124
Place Centrale, 119
planting, 54–66, 69–72
Plants for Good and Evil, 12
Pliny the Elder, 7, 16, 51
poetry, about garlic, 4–5
poisoning, 143
Poland, 102
Pomponius, 81
Porcelain hardneck, 104, 134, 175–76
Porphyromonas gingivalis,
20
Pospisil, Paul, 14–15, 78, 139
potatoes, 101
potions and remedies, 7, 21
prepping garlic, 136–38
preserving garlic, 142–45
Pretty Garlic, 104
price fluctuations, 100–101, 104–5
producers, worldwide, 103
Protected Geographical Indication, 118
purée, 144
Purple Stripe hardneck, 67, 82, 142, 174
Pyro Chefs, 89–90
ramp
(Allium tricoccum),
57
rasps, 139–40
raw garlic, 132, 135
Raxaul, India, 102
recipes: ancient, 5–6; Anna’s Sauce, 44–45; Barbecue Tips from the Twelfth Century, 39; Cold-Coming-On Soup, 158–59; “Eyetalian” spaghetti sauce, 40–42; Four Thieves Vinegar, 164–65; Jacqueline Barthe’s Creamy Garlic Pie, 166–67; Lentil, Bacon, and Tomato Stew with Forty Cloves of Garlic, 160–61; Les Blank’s Lunch, 165; Perplexed Portobello Steak with Mushroom Purée and Mushroom Crudo, 161–63; Potage de l’Ail Rose, 159–60; Roasted Garlic, Blueberry, and Pear Cobbler with Garlic-Pecan Brickle Cream, 167–69; Salsa Verde, 163–64; Sopa de Ajo Blanco, 157–58; Warm-Weather Watermelon Crabmeat-Kissed South Seas Soup, 156–57; Whole-Hog Potatoes, 165–66
Regel, Eduard, 9
Reichl, Ruth, 31
remedies, 7, 21
Renaissance period, 17, 35, 38
research, 19–23
Retail Council of Canada, 104
roasting, 141
Rocambole hardneck, 67, 82, 104, 134, 137, 173–74, 178