Garlic: properties, benefits and how to use it in the kitchen

With more than 5,000 scientific references, garlic is one of the most studied plants. Its properties make it one of the best examples to validate the Hippocratic aphorism that “food is your medicine and medicine is your food”.

the garlic plant (Allium sativum) It belongs to the Liliaceae family, like onion and leek. Although it is believed to be native to Central Asia, It arrived in the Middle East approximately four thousand years ago and today it is cultivated and used throughout the world.

The garlic cloves they must be planted in winter and the bulb, which is commonly known as the head of garlic, It is harvested at the beginning of summer.

Nutritional values ​​of garlic

How many calories does garlic have?

In every 100 grams of garlic we find the following nutrients

calories: 135 caloriesproteins: 6gfats: 0.1gcarbohydrates: 27.5gFiber: 0.7g

garlic properties

Garlic combines a balanced supply of nutrients with sulfur compounds and other substances that give it its many medicinal properties.

unique sulfur compounds

Garlic cloves contain between 0.2% and 0.3% of essential oil: garlicin, alliin or allylcysteine ​​sulfoxide (1%), which when hydrolyzed by alliinase produces allicin.

This is produced by crushing or chewing fresh garlic. Allicin gives garlic its characteristic odor and flavor, and is rapidly transformed into allyl disulfide and other volatile sulfur compounds which are primarily responsible for the beneficial effects.

Also, garlic contains fructosanasoligosaccharides that feed the beneficial intestinal microbiota, related to good general health.

It also has enzymes –peroxidase and lysozyme, among others– essential for the medicinal action of garlic to take place.

Rich in minerals and vitamins

In addition to all the nutritional properties already mentioned, garlic contains small amounts of iron, silicon, sulfur, iodine, manganese, selenium and vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C.

garlic benefits

Garlic was used in Egyptian culture, along with onion and bread, as the basis of food, and in the Hippocratic medicine from Greece. In ancient Rome, Galen, Pliny the Elder and Dioscorides mention its use for treat parasites, respiratory problems or digestion disorders.

friend of the circulatory system

Among the different benefits of garlic for health, it is worth highlighting the fact that it is a great cardiovascular protector. Prevents and improves arteriosclerosis, inhibits the synthesis of LDL cholesterol (the bad) and triglycerides. It also improves blood clotting and increases the elasticity of the arteries.

In case of intermittent claudication –When arteriosclerosis affects the legs and forces one to stop often when walking due to the pain it causes–, garlic helps the blood to reach the muscles better.

It is also beneficial to consume garlic before the hypertension and the acceleration of the heart rate.

healthy airways

Garlic helps fight respiratory infections such as flu and cold for its antiseptic properties.

It also dilates the bronchi, fluidizes the mucous membranes and stimulates the immune system. Due to these properties, eating garlic is especially useful in case of sinusitis, pharyngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma.

Help against infections

In addition to the flu and colds, garlic fights urinary tract infections, intestinal parasites, and ear infections. Nevertheless, does not replace antibiotics when these are prescribed by the doctor.

Essential in the kitchen

Although in herbalists and dietetics it can be found in pearls, tinctures and other presentations, there is no more effective and complete garlic remedy or medicine than the garlic itself. fresh teeth consumed regularly.

How to prepare garlic so that its properties are not lost

If you heat a whole clove of garlic, you will waste a large part of its properties.

The best way to consume garlic is raw.. If you want to cook it, mash it well half an hour before, so you will allow the beneficial substances to form and they resist the heat.

Include in the diet of 1 to 4 teeth a day allows you to benefit from its properties, both to prevent and to alleviate certain health problems.

Mediterranean ingredient

Garlic is an ingredient as small as it is popular, extolled in Mediterranean gastronomy. exist various varieties:

White garlic: They are the most common, have a strong flavor, and are eaten dry. You have to look for firm and heavy heads, with a dry wrapper and no buds.purple garlic: the layer that covers them is purple; they ripen earlier and are usually larger, but being more tender they keep for less time.Young garlic or young garlic: they are collected before the bulb develops, in spring; they are soft, appropriate for salads, stir-fries, scrambled eggs and omelettes.

Tricks to use garlic comfortably

To soften its flavor and prevent it from being spicy the cloves are split in half and the green germ is removed with a knife, or they are scalded for a minute or left to soak, peeled, for a couple of hours.

Another option is not to use the garlic directly, but rather the flavored oil, or rub the source of the salad with a tooth.

To peel them easily they are crushed with the thumb or the blade of the knife.

To remove the smell from your handswash them under cold running water, without rubbing.

7 good combinations with garlic

It is generally associated with other ingredients with which it combines very well, such as bread, oil, salt and aromatic plants like parsley or basil. Other privileged companions are grapes and nuts.

It is a classic to prepare Garlic Rub Toast Breadsalt and oil. It is also easy and usual to chop raw garlic together with parsley to dress the salads. In the preparation “garlic” It is chopped on potatoes, rice, pasta or millet just after cooking, so that the heat of the stew itself neutralizes and shapes its flavor. Raw garlic is also triumphant in sauces like garlic oil, the ajoarriero, the canarian mojo or the Genoese pesto, and in cold soups such as gazpacho or ajoblanco. stir-fry base along with the onion, tomato and green pepper, a sure start to any stew. A newer but no less tasty stir-fry is with bits of celery and ginger.If there is something as old as traditional, it is garlic soup. Its ingredients, along with garlic, are hard bread, paprika, oil, water and salt.