Everyone is familiar with garlic and its special strong flavor. But, have you ever heard of the black garlic?
Hmmm… black garlic. It sounds like an occultism or a fabulous range… but it is neither of them. It is raw whole fresh garlic (Allium sativum) which matures throughout time, in rooms with controlled temperatures and humidity, a reaction called Maillard. During this procedure, the cloves acquire in their internal part a characteristic black color of ebony. The required time is equivalent to the time needed for caterpillars to become butterfly. Some people claim that 40-45 days are enough and some others maintain that according to academic researches, 13 days are enough to acquire all the nutritional values and color, provided that it is under controlled circumstances.
It needs to be highlighted the fact that no additives are added and no cooking is interfered in the whole process. Color is acquired due to the sugar and amino acids of the garlic, which produce melanin during the maturation.
Besides its color, its texture and flavor are also changing. It becomes creamy, fattier and sweeter.
Garlic’s history is quite unknown with many different versions for its origin. A garlic cultivator in H.B claimed that in 2009 he used a Korean 4.000 old recipe to make black garlic. Some recent versions refer to the beginning of 20st century. In 2004 a Korean inventor took a patent diploma for a device that makes black garlic and he said: no matter what you have heard, black garlic has no ancient Korean recipe. I discovered it and I took three patent diplomas for the device and the procedure. There are families in Japan and in Korea claiming that they produce and use black garlic as a tradition for many centuries. What’s the truth? The most possible explanation is that the recipe was rediscovered many times throughout time.
When it came out in the gastronomy in 2008, black garlic became immediately a huge success, and it was met in the best restaurants of the world. The Maillard reaction that turns it black, gives him a sweet flavor that reminds us of roast meat, fried onions and balsamic vinegar.
Before entering the Kitchen, in some Asian countries like Thailand and Korea, it had a medicinal use and its sweet flavor made it easily consumable. Taoist legend has it that it offers longevity and euthanasia. It is also very popular as a herbal nutrition supplement.
There is a reason that it is called black gold- it has so many beneficial properties!
Let’s see its real value by putting aside his uncommon appearance. According to research in 2017, every clove of garlic is so valuable.
It is highly nutritious and antioxidant. It is even better than the fresh one.
It is said to help in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Researchers discovered that the organic unions of sulfur act as strong antioxidants. Besides that, they reduce the atherosclerotic plaque in the blood vessels, and they fight off inflammations that destroy the cells.
There are pharmacological references in 2019, according to which, the mature procedure of black garlic changes the chemical bonds in its internal. This transformation enables them to acquire the antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-allergenic properties, as well as the important role it has in the protection of the liver.
Like the fresh, the black garlic contributes to the balance of sugar levels in the blood. As a result, it prevents serious health issues like diabetes symptoms, kidney dysfunction, cholesterol, heart problems, blood pressure and intestine cancer. And not that. According to other research, it also affects the ability to metabolize fat and it is really important in fighting obesity. What’s more …. It relieves the symptoms of eczema, psoriasis, acme and many more ….
This research refers to supplements with black garlic, which contain a higher amount of their nutritional values. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that black garlic itself is not beneficial.
There are two types of black garlic: the black one and the aged one. There is a slight difference between them: the aged garlic has not undergone the whole mature process and it doesn’t turn into black completely. Its nutritional and therapeutic properties are somewhere between the fresh and the black, as in a chemistry level the changes have not been completed.
The umami, flavor that can be combined with everything, from party treats up to pasta dishes and salty biscuits, is probably of a Korean or Chinese descent. Although it has a unique flavor, it can be used in many ways.
Try to melt it and mix it with soy or chili sauce in order to accompany your fried dishes or use it as a dip by combining it with some cheese cream. Mix the black garlic puree with oil and cover the chicken or fish before baking it. Enhance your Bolognese or chili sauce, add some black garlic puree in the mince for meatballs, fillet some cloves in the salad, give an extra flavor to your toast by adding it in the cheese or mix it with mayo in the burger or in the fried potatoes. Replace the chutney in the cheese plate, add some water and olive oil in the black garlic puree for an alternative dressing, mix it with homemade tomato sauce for pasta or pizza basis, dip the cloves in melted chocolate for a sweet experience or just taste the cloves in your mouth!
* Umami is also known as monosodium glutamate and consists one of the five main flavors that include the bitter, the sweet, the sour and the salty. Umami means “the essence of tastiness” in Japanese and as a flavor it is described as a salty-sweet flavor with a special depth.
Here you can find our Black garlic jam
