Garlic. Sure, it wards off vampires and unwanted advances from suitors, but it has many other uses and attributes that will cause you to want to add it to every meal!
Originating in Asia, today there are 7 different types of garlic in Europe alone, and 5 or more forms in which to purchase it. Though most people are familiar with eating the bulb, the leaves and flower can also be eaten and are milder in flavor.
Fermented garlic gloves, or black garlic, is sweet and syrupy and is made in Korea and sold in the US. Garlic bread, garlic oil, aioli, and garlic powder are quite popular culinary uses of garlic.
Garlic has many medicinal and health uses. It is claimed to help prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer. It’s been shown to regulate blood sugar levels, increase testosterone, fight off scurvy due to high vitamin C levels, and enhance thiamin absorption.
Plus, at the end of the day, it just makes your food taste really good! It’s highly popular in Italian cooking, no spaghetti dish is complete without garlic, and I for one use it in my nightly salmon stir fry meal every chance I get!
So, next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up some cloves of garlic! You’ll enjoy the taste, and you’re likely to feel healthier as well!