Garlic and onions are among the oldest cultivated food plants. Their
culinary, medicinal and religious use dates back more than 6000 years.
Around 300 BC, Chinese courtiers had to use cloves to sweeten their breath in
the presence of the emperor because they ate so much garlic.
Chicago got it's name from the American Indian word for the wild garlic that
grew around Lake Michigan - "chicagaoua".
California produces more than 250 million pounds of garlic each year. One
farm in Monterey County (near Gilroy "The Garlic Capital of the World")
plants 2000 acres of garlic and produces almost 25 million pounds annually.
There is an all-garlic restaurant in Stockholm where they offer a garlic
cheesecake. There is an all-garlic restaurant in San Francisco where they
offer a garlic ice cream. The name of the place is a nickname for
garlic...The Stinking Rose!
Elephant garlic is actually closely related to the leek, and thought by some
to be the wild ancestor of the leek. The bulbs are very large, and can weigh
more than 1 pound. They are also much milder than regular garlic, and can be
slice raw in salads. Whole cloves can be sautéed in butter and served as an
appetizer.