Garlic is an important and widely cultivated crop, which is known for its culinary and medicinal use. Garlic has been cultivated vegetatively because of its sexual sterility. Vegetative propagation of garlic is achieved through division of the ground bulbs and/or aerial bulbs. 

Garlic is the strongest-flavored edible Allium. Surprisingly, the fresher the garlic, the milder the taste.  In other words,  garlic, fresh from the ground, often referred to as "green garlic" (this is garlic that has not been allowed to cure and dry), is milder as compared to garlic that has been allowed to cure for a month or so. Green Garlic is popular for making pesto, guacamole, and other dishes that use raw garlic.   

Most of us consume garlic that has been cured and dried for a period longer than a month. When selecting garlic, inspect the individual cloves by gently pushing on them to determine if they are firm or soft.  Good garlic should be firm and the cloves should not feel squishy or soft. Garlic is fairly fragile and should be handled with care. Dropping a garlic bulb certainly may result in one or more of the cloves getting damaged. Bruising will trigger the chemical reactions that release allicin.

Garlic, onions and leeks (including Elephant Garlic) have been popular foods across the globe for thousands of years. Garlic appears to be the strongest-flavored allium and quite possibly the food with the greatest medicinal potential. In Egypt and elsewhere in the Mediterranean basin, garlic was considered as a food for strengthening the body, ideal for workers, soldiers and the elite.   



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