Monday 11 June 2012

Garlic

Oh garlic what is there to say .. You love it or you hate it!
I was inspired for this blog by some really good Greek lamb gyros with garlic sauce that we had out at lunch and let me tell you ... Deeee- lish!

Garlic is used around the world in all types of cuisine for its pungent scent and flavour and what's fascinating is once its cooked the dimensions of the flavour totally change to a mellow sweet taste.

Garlic is so versatile it can be used with nearly every meat and vegetable.
Garlic has been used in history not only for cooking but for its medicinal treatment as well, it is said to contain anti fungal, antibacterial and antiviral molecules.
Studies have shown that it can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels and even prevent some varieties of cancer!
One negative to this delicious stinky goodness is in fact that.... Garlic breath!
Even the great William Shakespeare was quoted saying

“Most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath.”

So everyone knows once eaten no matter how flavorsome it is it makes you smell!
The breath is caused through a compound found in garlic called Allyl methyl sulfide.
It settles in your bloodstream,lungs which travels through your breath and even travels through your skin, it's hard to cure but mum used to tell me to eat parsley but that may be an old wives tail.

For the record mum if you read this I did not just call you old xx.

The one thing I do always think of now and you probably remember is when you were sick as a child and mum used to cook you chicken soup and somehow it always made you feel better! Well when you think about it soup usually always has garlic in it.
Coincidental or Fact that mums chicken soup with garlic is a natural flu remedy??

Gets you thinking doesn't it? For me though no matter how bad it gets the breath I couldn't go without it and as a chef i believe that cooking and garlic go together like salt and pepper.

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