Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Garlic

Vegetables · Alliums

Garlic

Pungent bulb of papery-skinned cloves; one of the most widely used aromatics in the world.

Also called: garlic cloves, lehsun, lasun, sarımsak, ajo

Around the world: lehsun, लहसुन (hi) · sarımsak (tr) · ajo (es) · ail (fr)

867 recipes with it

Photo: Ivar Leidus, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

A garlic bulb (head) is made of several cloves, each wrapped in papery skin. Raw garlic is sharp and hot; cooked garlic turns sweet and nutty. Wild garlic and garlic chives are different plants with leafy greens, and garlic powder is dried and ground garlic with a flatter flavour.

Allium sativum

How it’s used

  • Sizzled in oil as the base of sauces, stir-fries and curries
  • Pounded with ginger into ginger-garlic paste
  • Crushed raw into aioli, tzatziki and dressings
  • Roasted whole until soft and spreadable
  • Fried crisp as a garnish

Characteristics

Taste
Hot and pungent raw; mellow, sweet and savoury when cooked.
Aroma
Strong and sulphurous, intensifying when crushed.
When cooked
Crushing or chopping releases its sharpest compounds; it burns and turns bitter quickly in hot oil, so add it after onions or keep heat moderate.
Sold as
fresh, powder, paste, dried, flakes
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Usually eaten raw, Mainly a seasoning, Used for tempering (tadka), Suitable for frying

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Keep whole heads in a cool, dry, airy place, not the fridge. Discard cloves that are soft, mouldy or sprouting strongly (green shoots taste bitter).

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Garlic stored in oil at room temperature can allow botulism; refrigerate homemade garlic oil and use within a few days.
  • Toxic to dogs and cats.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
149 kcal
Protein
6.36 g
Carbohydrate
33.06 g
Fat
0.5 g
Fibre
2.1 g
Sugars
1 g

USDA FoodData Central: Garlic, raw.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Garlic powder — About 1/4 teaspoon per clove; lacks fresh pungency and cannot be browned the same way.
  • Asafoetida — A pinch fried in oil gives an allium-like savour in dishes made without onion and garlic.

Related ingredients

Recipes with garlic

See all 867

855 more

More alliums