Black garlic, 2 heads

Culinary Use of Black Garlic

In the kitchen, ANYTHING can be done with black garlic. It revolutionizes cooking with astonishing ease.

Some suggestions for using black garlic in your cooking:

Although its flavor is more complex and delicate, black garlic is used in the same way as regular garlic. Its enveloping and perplexing sweetness will surprise many!

It pairs well in soups and salads, on toasted bread, or as aioli with poultry or fish. Black garlic mixed with tomato sauce for pizzas or pasta will delight your taste buds. You can also add it to a mushroom risotto or stuffed mushroom preparation. Indeed, black garlic pairs perfectly with mushrooms, especially shiitake mushrooms.

It blends beautifully in sauces, marinades, or in the cooking juices of meat. Pressed into mashed potatoes, black garlic will delicately enhance the potato.

The sweetness of black garlic allows it to be combined with sweet preparations of all kinds. It subtly flavors all your chocolate-based desserts and homemade jams or fruit-based preparations.

Below are some recipe ideas with black garlic:

• - Black Garlic Vinaigrette: In a bowl, crush 4 cloves of black garlic, then add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasoning. You can then drizzle it over your salad.
• - Homemade Mashed Potatoes with Black Garlic: Squeeze 2 cloves of black garlic and add them to mashed potatoes, then season and serve.
• - Black Garlic Chocolate Cake: Crush 4 cloves of black garlic and add them to softened butter, then incorporate the black garlic butter into melted chocolate.
• - Tomato, Mozzarella, and Black Garlic Bruschetta: Rub slices of toasted bread with 2 cloves of black garlic, then arrange tomatoes and mozzarella and bake for 5 minutes.
• - Black Garlic Pasta: Dice two cloves of black garlic, then add them to heavy cream and let them infuse for 20 minutes. Once the pasta is cooked, you can add the black garlic cream sauce to the pasta.
• - Black Garlic Dipping Sauce: Blend 3 cloves of black garlic with salt, cream cheese, and sour cream, then serve chilled.

In What Form to Use Black Garlic?

To enjoy the sweetness of black garlic, you can use its cloves:

• - Sliced: The classic way, perfect for garnishing many dishes.
• - Mashed: Ideal for liquid preparations such as sauces, broths, vinaigrettes, marinades, and stews.

The Sweet and Savory Aroma of Black Garlic

Smelling black garlic reveals an enveloping sweetness. In the mouth, its texture is velvety, like butter, but black as coal. Its slightly sweet and tangy notes give the impression of eating fruit paste. The exceptional and complex flavor of black garlic may remind you of licorice, balsamic vinegar, or even prunes.

As a result, it can appeal to both "sweet" and "savory" palates!

The Manufacturing Process of Black Garlic

How Does Garlic Turn Black?

To obtain this famous product, fresh garlic heads are used, which are placed in a special cooking bag, then in a steel box to prevent overheating. Cooking is carried out in a controlled humidity and temperature oven: this eliminates the excess sulfur compounds in the plant, the main cause of the strong odor of garlic.

During this process, which takes 3 to 4 weeks, the cloves gradually take on the characteristic brown color and soft texture of black garlic, and the product develops its aroma and sweet taste. At the end of the "cooking" period, the heads are removed from the bags and allowed to dry for another 2 to 3 days.

Tracing the Origins of Black Garlic

The Origins of Black Garlic

The origin of black garlic does not seem to be clearly identified and is the subject of several hypotheses. Some suggest that black garlic has been used in Korean cuisine for more than 4000 years, while others believe it is the result of a chemical reaction in a scientific experiment conducted in 1999.

Benefits of Using Garlic

The benefits of black garlic are well known. Thanks to black garlic, Koreans take care of their bodies and, most importantly, do not experience the drawbacks of fresh garlic (strong breath and lingering odor). Moreover, it is easier to digest...