Eat, drink and stink - California's Garlic Festival - includes recipes, related articles, a glossary and a list of resources

Vegetarian Times, May, 1997 by Karen Cope Straus

garlic glossary

Garlic is a hardy perennial bulb plant of the lily family that originated in the mountains of southern Azerbaijan in northern Iran. It is closely related to onions, chives, leeks and shallots, or alliums. In onions, the bulb is composed of one entire set of rings. Garlic is subdivided into smaller bulb sections called cloves. The average garlic bulb or head contains approximately nine cloves.

While there are more than 300 varieties of garlic found around the world, California, a major producer, grows two types, California Early, accounting for 65 percent of all garlic found on the market in North America today and the California Late or Silver Skin, accounting for 22 percent of the market. Small quantities of Early Red, Egyptian, Formosan, Italian purple, Mexican Creole and elephant as well as others comprise the remainder of the market.

The crop is planted in the winter and harvested in June and July when it reaches maturity. One average size garlic clove is the equivalent in flavor of 1/8 teaspoon dehydrated garlic in powdered, minced or chopped form, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt. (Remember to decrease the amount of plain salt called for if adding garlic salt to a recipe.) Garlic is also available chopped and in paste in jars and in a concentrated paste in tubes. Use the bottled forms in the same proportions as you would fresh garlic and the concentrate in smaller amounts to taste.

California Early -- A large bulb with light tan skin that is rougher in appearance than California Late or Silver Skin. It does not keep as well as some other types.

California Late or Silver Skin -- A less productive bulb than California Early with pink or pinkish-brown skin. Considered to have better flavor and to be longer lasting. Often used in braids.

Elephant -- also called Great-Headed, Jumbo or Oriental. Elephant garlic is five to six times the size of standard garlic, producing three to eight cloves per bulb, which can weigh as much as a pound. The flavor is much milder than standard garlic as elephant garlic is not a true garlic but more closely related to the leek.

resources

The Gilroy Garlic Festival July 25 through 27 P.O. Box 2311 Gilroy, CA 95021 (408) 842-1625

The Stinking Rose A Garlic Restaurant "We season our garlic with food." 55 N. La Cienega Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211 (310) N-LA-ROSE

The Stinking Rose 325 Columbus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94133 (415) PU-1-ROSE http://thestinkingrose.com

The Goodness of Garlic by John Midgley (Random House, 1992). An informative history of garlic, with a variety of veg and nonveg ethnic recipes.

Garlic Cookery by Martha Rose Shulman (Thorsons Publishers, 1984). Gourmet vegetarian recipes featuring garlic.