Monday 4 March 2013

Black Garlic

black garlic
New Discovery
I'd consider myself quite clued up when it comes to food so when I discover something entirely new it's always a bit exciting, I love new discoveries.

This brilliant find was purely accidental, you know how you get those plastic strips hanging on supermarket shelves (usually quite random products in unlikely places, (I'm sure I've seen Haribo down the toilet roll aisle) though I'm sure there's some sales layout wizardry going on, we did after all buy this)? Well, a selection of these were hanging either by the free from section or down a world food aisle, I was too dazzled by the discovery to recall exactly.

I'd never heard of black garlic, never, and I can't quite believe this because I watch a lot ridiculous amount of cooking shows and read a lot about food in general. It's just something that has quite clearly passed me by until now. So what is it?

Well, it's regular white garlic that has been fermented, it's also known as aged garlic. All completely natural.

black garlic clove and skin
Don't Judge On Looks
It may look unpleasant to some but I actually love seeing black food (squid ink is way underused in my opinion), it's such a contrast to what we're used to seeing.

The black garlic cloves have a soft jellyish texture that quite easily pulls apart and makes a mess of your hands but it's worth it. The taste is nothing like white garlic, it's somewhat pungent, a bit fruity and with a hint of smokiness, think balsamic vinegar and you'll get a rough idea. The smell is sweet and fruity, it doesn't smell of garlic at all. 

I've not actually cooked with black garlic yet, we put a shredded clove on a Pizza which was a lovely addition but other than that I've been eating it raw, I could quite easily become addicted. After doing some research on this new discovery it appears to be very good for your health, each clove has twice the amount of antioxidants of white garlic and it comes in tablet form, it's said to be good for blood pressure, circulation and a healthy immune system, amongst other body boosting goodness.

As someone who is constantly trying to give my immune system the best natural boost I can after years of damage caused by gluten, I am thrilled to find an ingredient that not only excites me at the prospect of experimenting with but also that it may be beneficial for me to over use! I'm definitely giving the tablet form a go too as I already take regular garlic tablets, black garlic is supposed to work even better, I'm giving it a go.

I'll definitely be experimenting a lot with this, it's lovely to have a new ingredient to play with. I have some ideas but I really want to do something that's a bit special, I'll have to eat more for inspiration.

close up black garlic clove
I Find Each One Quite Mysterious And Lovely
If you want to try black garlic for yourself and you really should, it's available in bulbs or peeled cloves, the choice is yours. If you're just interested in the health benefits and not what you can make with it you can also find the tablets via these links.

2 comments:

  1. If you want an more inspiration when it comes to recipes for Black Garlic visit Black Garlic UK. We'd also be pleased to feature any recipes using Black Garlic on our website.

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  2. A great resource for information regarding black garlic is available at http://www.BlackGarlicLove.com - tips, tricks, recipes and short videos starring Black Garlic Man. There are also resources for where to purchase black garlic products - bulbs, cloves, seasonings and snack items.

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