Vigorous, with strong snow-white teeth, scalding in taste, giving a huge number of dishes a unique taste and wonderful aroma. When we talk about garlic, we mean a herbaceous plant of the onion family, which, due to its specific properties, is perfectly used both in medicine and as a delicious flavoring seasoning in cooking. Many may think that there is nothing more to say about this product. However, this is a misconception. We present you interesting facts about garlic.

Garlic, just like a rare item, can tell many stories and interesting facts about itself.

The cultivation of the oldest plant in the world, garlic, began almost 6,000 years ago. It is believed that its homeland is Central Asia. Due to its pronounced taste, garlic quickly spread, and soon it was cultivated in Ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. Our “onion brother” appeared thanks to the Byzantines around the 1st century.

Interesting fact. The world famous Chicago (USA) is named after garlic. After all, from the Indian language, namely from the word “chicagaoua”, the name of the city is translated as “wild garlic”.

In 1720, the bulbous plant saved several thousand European inhabitants from the raging plague.

The ancient Romans nicknamed garlic “stinking rose” or “poor man’s molasses” because of its specific aroma.

Another interesting fact. Greek archaeologists in the middle of the century found Hellenic writings in which they described the process of preparing an anesthetic, where garlic juice was a must.

IN Ancient Egypt to increase slaves' physical activity daily the meal came with a few cloves of garlic. In this country this vegetable crop was considered sacred.

Scientists have found that Garlic cloves contain up to 9% protein, 22-27% carbohydrates, at least 100 biologically active elements, including B vitamins, phosphorus, calcium, iodine, nicotinic acid, iron, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, manganese - substances so necessary for the full functioning of the human body.

Garlic is a unique healing plant that protects against bacterial, viral and fungal effects. In medicine, it is used for bronchitis, asthma, atherosclerosis, blood clots, arthritis, to strengthen the immune system, for preventive purposes against the flu, and many cardiovascular and infectious diseases.

Today it is known that even a small amount of garlic allows protect the body from destructive influences heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium.

Other interesting facts about garlic are presented on the Internet.

Garlic adds aroma and depth of flavor to dishes. But how much can you eat per day and what can you do to get rid of its smell? We share interesting facts about storing and using garlic.

Garlic is an ancient plant

Garlic was first eaten in Central Asia more than 5,000 years ago. In Ancient Greece, it was considered a medicine that gave strength, and in Ancient Egypt, workers who built the pyramids had to eat garlic for the same reason. When for some reason the workers were not given garlic, they rebelled.

What are the benefits of garlic?

If you are prone to allergies, you should eat garlic with caution. And for those who suffer from gastritis and acute gastrointestinal diseases, hepatitis, epilepsy and migraines, this useful product It is worth consuming after consultation with a doctor - it can aggravate the disease.

How much garlic can you eat per day

IN large quantities raw garlic is dangerous to health - if you eat 5 cloves or more, you may experience heartburn, stomach discomfort and flatulence. Doctors recommend eating 1-2 cloves a day, observing the body’s reaction. Even in such quantities, garlic is very useful.

How to get rid of garlic smell

Everyone knows awkward situations after which you no longer want to eat raw garlic. However, there are a few tips to help reduce the smell of this plant.

If you cut a clove of garlic in half and pull out the stem, it will smell much less. Also, according to scientists, the smell of garlic is partially neutralized:

• apples
• lettuce

However, if you are going to important negotiations, you should avoid dishes with garlic about two days before.

What to do if there is too much garlic in a dish

If you get carried away while preparing a dish and add too much garlic to it, try to save it! The smell of garlic in a dish is reduced by:

• minced meat
• pasta
• sour cream
• milk
• tomatoes
• A boiled egg is perfect for salad
• A bunch of parsley will save the soup: wrap it in gauze or put it in a fabric bag, cook with the soup for 5 minutes, and then throw it away.

How to preserve garlic so that it does not dry out and sprout

It often happens that the garlic heads sprout, and the cloves become limp and dry. To prevent this from happening, you need to store garlic correctly:

• gently burn the roots of the head, this will prevent the garlic from sprouting
• Wrap the head of garlic tightly in cling film to prevent it from drying out.
• Place the garlic in a cloth bag and store it in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment.

But in plastic bag Garlic cannot be stored: it will get wet, sprout and quickly deteriorate.

If stored properly, garlic will stay fresh for 2 to 8 months.

Garlic in cooking

Garlic is added to many dishes, and in Spain they even make soup from it. It is pickled, baked, stewed and dried - it is garlic that can give your dish completeness and a subtle pleasant aroma. We've collected our favorite dishes with garlic that even those who don't like this spice will like.

• will add flavor to the dish, and your breath will remain fresh afterwards
• with crackers, garlic will add piquancy and light aroma
• perfect for meat and fish dishes
• , stuffed with 40 cloves of garlic, is a juicy and aromatic dish that will decorate even the holiday table

The ancient Egyptians, Assyrians and Jews treated garlic with great respect, and it was an essential element in the diet of both slaves and masters. The naive ability of the Egyptians to deify everything that they liked and that could be useful in the other world did not escape garlic. Dummies of garlic heads, created from clay, accompanied prudent pharaohs into the afterlife. Fresh garlic was part of mummification ointments and solutions.

Garlic was also deified by the northern barbarians - the Germans and Slavs, and even the wise Chinese.

The pagan idols of the Slavs, decorated with garlands of garlic, looked with approval at how their adherents thickly seasoned their meals with garlic and onions - the best remedy against vitamin deficiencies such as scurvy and rickets.

Garlic was invariably present in the diet of the Roman legionnaire: stewed game with pomegranate juice, salted pistachios and crushed garlic. In their flasks, the warriors carried wine mixed with honey and garlic juice. Or barley decoction infused with honey, crushed pomegranates and ground garlic.

For the mystic, garlic has always been a traditional amulet against evil spirits: witches, werewolves and vampires.

The list of diseases and ailments that garlic copes with would take more than one page. Garlic strengthens the immune system; inhibits the growth of staphylococci, dysentery and typhoid bacteria; prevents the formation of cancer cells; saturates the blood with anti-sclerotic substances; reduces the level of “bad” cholesterol; promotes natural blood purification; destroys atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels; protects against inflammatory processes; harmonizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and the valvular apparatus of the heart.

There are, however, contraindications. Garlic is not recommended: during pregnancy, acute diseases of the stomach and intestines, liver, kidneys, epilepsy, obesity and individual idiosyncrasy.

Many garlic recipes have come to us from the past, but their true king is Tibetan recipe blood purification, rejuvenation of the body, treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Thoroughly wash and peel 350 g of garlic, chop it finely and crush it with a wooden pestle. Take a 200 g portion (from the bottom, where there is more juice), place it in a clay (glass) vessel and add 200 g of 96 percent alcohol. Close the container tightly and place in a cool, dark place for 10 days. After this, strain the mixture through a thick cloth and squeeze out the rest. After 2-3 days you can take the infusion. Drink drops with cold milk (50 g) an hour before meals or 2-3 hours after meals, strictly observing the following dosage.

Garlic is used quite widely in the “eros recipes” of many nations.

Love potion from the Kama Sutra - milk, sugar, crushed garlic, pepper and licorice root.

Recipe from King Henry IV of France: a clove of garlic is washed down with a glass of cognac mixed with yolk.

"Elixir of Youth": Grind three large heads of garlic in a meat grinder along with three lemons, pour in 1200 ml of boiled water.

Close the container tightly and leave for 24 hours, placing it in a warm place, shaking occasionally. Filter. Take the tincture one teaspoon per day, after diluting it in a glass of boiled water. After 1-2 weeks, drowsiness disappears and performance improves.

The tincture has an anti-sclerotic and strengthening effect. For hypertension and atherosclerosis, it is recommended to take 1 tbsp. spoon three times a day for 30 minutes. before meals.

If you have arthritis: Place the peeled cloves of two large heads of garlic in a cup of warm olive oil for five minutes. Wet a thick sock or thick cloth with warm water and wring it out. Place the garlic cloves in a sock and add a little oil. Gently rub the resulting device for several minutes sore spot. The pain should go away quickly.

For shortness of breath: take 1 liter of honey, squeeze 10 lemons, grind 10 heads of garlic in a meat grinder, mix everything, leave for a week in a closed jar, take four teaspoons once a day.

For whooping cough: Boil five medium-sized crushed garlic cloves well in a glass of unpasteurized milk and give to the child several times a day.

For upper respiratory tract disease: Dilute freshly squeezed garlic juice with distilled water in a ratio of 1:3 to a total mass of 2 ml. Instead of squeezing the juice, you can finely chop 3-4 slices and heat in a water bath. Use as inhalation. For a runny nose: dilute 1 drop of freshly squeezed juice with 13 drops of boiled water. Apply 1 drop in each nasal passage.

It was not by chance that the wise Pythagoras called garlic the king of seasonings. Here are some interesting recipes.

An ancient Roman snack. Peeled garlic is ground with salt and red capsicum with the addition of olive oil. The pasty mixture is spread on a slice of rye bread.

Italian sauce for vegetables. The garlic is crushed together with nuts, a little sugar, salt, black pepper and lemon juice are added. The resulting slurry is seasoned with sour cream.

Don't you want to smell like garlic?

Chew a green sprig of cilantro or parsley, crack a coffee bean or nutmeg...

And be healthy!

Garlic - myths, legends, beliefs. Interesting facts about garlic

Garlic like all the plants on the planet have their legends And myths, and also beliefs related to his origin And application, which have been passed down from generation to generation for many centuries. But, unfortunately, many of them are irretrievably lost or simply forgotten, this is due to the insanely rapid development of humanity. And sometimes people simply don’t have time to think about what role garlic played in the life of their ancestors.

Garlic has long and deeply entered into human life. It is difficult to imagine our life without this herbaceous plant, which we use very often in our kitchen. Delicious salads, meat dishes, various sauces are all prepared using garlic. But what do we know about him? Few people know how and where garlic came from in our lives; this is the question we will now consider.

Origin of Garlic

Like most plants, garlic does not have an exact date of origin. It is reliably known that it began its spread from the territories of modern Tien Shan and the Altai Mountains. It was from there that it began to spread throughout the world. The Chinese were the first to eat garlic.

Then garlic came to the territory of Egypt and the ancient Egyptians fell in love with it. Several heads of garlic were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, the Egyptian pharaoh, which indicates the great importance of garlic among the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians also began cultivating it, as evidenced by images of garlic on clay tablets in the tomb of El Mashahna. These tablets were made approximately 6000 BC.

This culture was also very popular in Ancient Greece and Rome. Pythagoras called garlic the king among all spices.

Garlic came to the territory of Rus' from Byzantium, it was brought by spice traders. It is not known exactly when this happened, however, garlic is mentioned in chronicles dating back to the 8th century AD, but it is possible that it appeared in Rus' earlier. At that time, people drank wine by putting a clove of garlic in a mug of wine.

In manuscripts of the 17th-18th centuries, garlic is mentioned very often, which indicates its widespread use, and it is also constantly mentioned in herbalists of those times as a medicinal plant.

During the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, which fell in the 17th century AD, an order was issued to create gardens with garlic for medicinal purposes.

In 1720, garlic entered the history of mankind as its savior, in the truest sense of the word. Thanks to garlic, France was saved. Garlic mixed with vinegar saved the French from a raging plague that could have spread throughout the world and killed a lot of people.

Myths and legends associated with garlic. Fiction or truth?

According to one legend, garlic has a very interesting story origin. Even in ancient times, people believed that when the Lord expelled the devil from the Garden of Eden, when he left, he left behind traces in the ground on which he walked. And in these traces plants grew, these plants were onions and garlic. The story is, of course, completely unreal, but the ancient people believed that this was exactly the case.

Even the ancient Indians used garlic; they considered it a magical plant that could save from diseases and protect a person and his home from evil spirits. Garlic was a gift from the Gods for them. They called him Janga, the pungent strong smell of garlic was considered by the ancient Indians to be the Divine power emanating from the plant, which protects against evil spirits and kills bodily diseases. This myth was quite justified, because garlic is really capable of treating many diseases even just with its aroma, because it kills bacteria.

The ancient Egyptians attributed to him magical properties, magical power that can give a person additional physical strength and make a person more resilient. They gave garlic to the workers who built the famous Egyptian pyramids so that they would be stronger and could do more work and build the pyramids faster. Once there was even a riot among the pyramid builders, and it happened again because of garlic; the workers were not given garlic with their food, and they rebelled because they believed that without garlic they would not have enough strength to build.

It is also known that the Egyptians placed several heads of garlic in Tutankhamun’s tomb, this was done so that evil spirits could not steal his dead body and thereby disturb his soul. The Egyptians believed that garlic was necessary for a person even after death, because evil spirits were afraid of it. Garlic in the tomb, as it was proven, garlic played a role in the safety of the mummy and everything that was in the tomb, because its smell kills bacteria in the air.

Northern peoples believed that garlic was a plant belonging to the devil; it was considered as such because of its bitter taste and strong smell; people believed that such a taste and smell could only be devilish and in no way divine; they believed that the gods simply could not create such a smell and taste.

But the Bulgarians, on the contrary, considered it a plant of God and believed that garlic was just capable of fighting the devilish forces. From there came the legends about how vampires are afraid of the smell of garlic and often people who were unpleasant about its aroma were considered vampires, so many simply had to endure the suffocating aroma so as not to be included in the list of local vampires.

The Czechs attributed to garlic the ability to repel lightning; they placed bunches of garlic on the roof. It was believed that such a beam on the roof would divert lightning from the house during even a very strong thunderstorm and protect the home from lightning strikes and subsequent fire. The method of protecting a house is, of course, very questionable and it did not always work naturally; it was believed that if a house with garlic on the roof was struck by lightning, then demons lived there, which explained everything in those days.

The Serbs have gone the furthest in garlic hoaxes; their imagination probably has no limits. With the help of garlic, the Serbs invented a method that is simply incredible for modern people to identify witches, who were being hunted in those days. There was a whole ritual for this. For him it was necessary to find and kill a snake, then the snake's head was cut off. Next, a hole was dug, the snake’s head was placed in it, garlic was placed on the head, and it was grown on the snake’s head. Then the ripe garlic was dug up, dried, and before the Annunciation this head of garlic was tied to any hat. Witches were supposed to run to this head of garlic in order to get a powerful talisman. This ritual, fortunately, has not survived these days and the snakes are completely safe. Of course, this ritual had no basis, and the first woman who approached this head of garlic was mistaken for a witch.

The Serbs did not stop at snakes; they were incredibly afraid of evil spirits. To repel evil spirits, they were literally completely rubbed with garlic. It was believed that after rubbing with garlic like this, evil spirits would not get close to a person. Of course, there is no evidence of this similar effect of garlic, but such rubbing helped protect against diseases, and in those days it was believed that diseases were the work of evil spirits.

In ancient times, Rus' also surrounded garlic with magical beliefs attributed to people. On Christmas Eve in Rus' in the corners festive table they put heads of garlic, and then at the Easter service they put peeled cloves of garlic in their mouths. So, the men stood there with garlic in their mouths throughout the entire service. This was done to identify witches in the church, so holding garlic in their mouths, the men looked at the women at the service, and if a man suddenly began to see a woman with a milk pan and milk on her head, then this was precisely the witch. If you consider that garlic can release toxic substances in heat, then by the end of the service with garlic in your mouth, and the service goes on for more than one hour, you can see a lot of things besides a woman with a milk pan. From such a ritual, hallucinations can begin, and just like that, men holding garlic in their mouths began to see the most ordinary hallucinations, and their brains simply gave them exactly what they were tuned in to when starting this ritual, as a result, many innocent women were executed because of such hallucinations .

Interesting facts about garlic

Garlic has been with us for many centuries, during which time people have learned many interesting facts about garlic. So what's wrong interesting people know about garlic?

Garlic has always been in the lives of modern people, it did not appear recently as a new crop, it was not bred by breeders recent years. So how much do people use it? People have been eating garlic for over 3,000 years. Even before our era, it was already popular and was used in nutrition and treatment of people in various ways.

Crane Hindus rarely consume garlic, and this is not because they do not like the taste or smell of this plant. Hindus believe that when eating garlic, a person experiences severe nervous excitement, anger and aggression, and all this has a very negative effect on a person’s aura.

Garlic is an excellent environment for the development of botulism. Although it itself is capable of killing various bacteria, the fact remains that garlic contributes to the development of botulism. If you keep it warm or in vegetable oil, you will create all the conditions for the development of this terrible bacterium capable of killing a person.

Pilots are prohibited from consuming garlic before flights. Yes, they can’t eat garlic before taking the helm! In 1950, studies were conducted that proved that garlic can reduce reactions and reduce alertness up to 3 times; this fact was revealed during testing.

Garlic is a rather hot spice, and it’s hot in the literal sense. If you eat garlic in large quantities and constantly, it can literally burn holes in your stomach. Therefore, you need to use it headlong without getting carried away, even if you love it very much, eat garlic in moderation.

The well-known city of Chicago was named “in honor” of garlic. The French, having heard the name of the city from the Indians which sounded like Shikaakwa, which meant Wild Garlic, they heard it poorly and began to call the city Chicago, as we all call it now.

Garlic oil was used during World Wars 1 and 2. It was recognized as the best remedy for healing wounds received by soldiers during battle. This medicine was effective and always available.

In Russia it was nicknamed Russian penicillin, a name given to it by soldiers of the Red Army. Doctors then relied heavily on its miraculous properties in healing wounds and treating viruses and infections.

Everyone knows about the specific aroma of garlic, but why does it smell like that? The smell of garlic is given by sulfurous substances, which it is very rich in, which is why it smells so bright, and since sulfurous substances have the ability to penetrate everything very well, this is precisely why it is so difficult to get rid of its smell.

Everyone knows that it is better not to eat garlic before going out in public, because the aroma from you, to put it mildly, will not be very good and when you smell it, you begin to involuntarily believe that evil spirits are afraid of it. But it is quite possible to get rid of it. To get rid of the smell of garlic from your mouth, you need to drink a glass of milk, eat sunflower seeds, chew parsley or cinnamon, but not all at once, of course.

Garlic is not eaten everywhere, in Japan it is exclusively remedy and is used only in medicine.

In the city of San Francisco there is a restaurant that does not have a single dish without garlic; this restaurant uses more than a ton of garlic every month. Even sweet dishes are prepared using garlic; the most famous dessert in this restaurant is ice cream with garlic. Many tourists come to this city solely for the purpose of visiting this restaurant.

Garlic is one of the few plants that deserves to be mentioned in the Bible and the Koran.

In 2009, something simply incredible happened in China: the price of garlic went up in an instant, and not just a little, the price of garlic went up 40 times. And the whole reason was the swine flu, which at that time was simply raging all over the world, and since China is very densely populated, the risk of infection is very high and everyone rushed to eat garlic in order not to become infected with the virus and to boost their immunity.

In the USA, garlic helps treat sick people like nowhere else, and it’s not about it medicinal properties. A garlic festival is held annually in the USA, and the money raised at the festival goes to charity, namely to the treatment of children with various complex diseases.

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Interesting fact 008

The world record for eating garlic belongs to Deepak Sharma. In Naples, in December 2009, he ate 34 cloves of garlic in a minute, but there is no mention of the size of the cloves or the total weight of this portion.

Interesting fact 009

Not all people can tolerate not only the taste and smell of garlic, but also experience unpleasant sensations from one type of garlic. The disorder is called Alliumphobia, and sometimes people susceptible to this phobia cannot stand not only garlic, but also onions, leeks and other onions, even tulips!

Depending on the severity of the disorder, symptoms may be as follows: increased sweating, feelings of doom and fear, dizziness, anxiety, panic attacks, tachycardia, arrhythmia, outbursts of irrational anger.

Interesting fact 010

Garlic is not only a natural antibiotic, but also has immunomodulator properties, enhancing the body's immune response to infection. This is because garlic, in addition to allicin, contains a substance called Ajoene, which was discovered in 1986. Ajoene also has other unique properties:

- antithrombic, because ajoene prevents platelet aggregation;

- antibacterial;

- antitumor;

— antimutogenic, it has been proven that ajoene is able to protect against the mutagenic effects of benzopyrene and phenylendamine;

- antivirus;

- exhibits antifungal activity.

Ajoene has two isomers and they are formed as conversion products of allicin contained in garlic.

The easiest way to obtain allicin and ajoene extract at home is using regular vegetable oil.

Interesting fact 011

An interesting way to store garlic. Grind the garlic until mushy, add a little water and freeze in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, the cubes can be stored in the freezer in bags or containers. This method is especially good for garlic that has reached the end of its shelf life and is ready to sprout (the tip of the clove turns green) or is starting to dry out. You just need to cut the cloves lengthwise and remove the sprout.

Interesting fact 012

Even though garlic was sometimes associated with the devil, it was still more often used to protect against dark forces. In Sanskrit, garlic means “monster killer.” Garlic was hung inside the house not only as protection from vampires and other evil, but also to attract good luck. In some cultures, garlic was used to protect domestic animals. To this day, in Scandinavia, goats are sometimes hung with a head of garlic around their necks to protect them from trolls.