Why Is Black Garlic So Healthy? Get To Know All Its Properties

Putting a clove of black garlic in its pure state in your mouth for the first time, without further ado, is an unforgettable experience. Its initial garlic flavor instantly turns into a sweet surprise that expands on the bottom of the palate, with a slight hint of plum, and almost at the same time it displays a delicate salty flavor.

Where does black garlic come from?

Many things have been said about the origin of black garlic. A widespread version is that it was discovered almost by accident, when a Japanese researcher, while looking for a way to make garlic more digestible, found the secret. By exposing the garlic to wood smoke, he found that after a month not only does it lose almost all of its original smell, but its properties increase.

It is also said that the technique existed as a traditional preservation method in Asia and that its recovery has allowed us to rediscover both its good taste and its surprising antioxidant power, greater than that of white garlic.

The truth is that the commercial patent is very recent – from 2004 in Japan – and that in recent years it has gained great popularity throughout the world. Today it is already made in Spain in traditional garlic-producing areas, such as Las Pedroñeras, in Cuenca.

Black garlic also has the advantage that it does not leave bad breath, does not repeat or cause digestive discomfort.

The properties of black garlic for health

Black garlic is especially rich in phenolic compounds such as S-allylcysteine ​​or S-allyl-mercaptocysteine, which have antioxidant action. It also provides vitamin C and other high-value antioxidant substances such as flavonoids. All this gives it multiple properties.

• Its antioxidant richness makes it a good immune stimulant.
• Like the usual garlic, it is a great natural antibiotic, useful for preventing and fighting colds and other infections.
• Helps maintain good blood pressure levels.
• It facilitates liver function, eliminating traces of lipids and harmful cholesterol, which also makes it a good resource for spring asthenia.
• By facilitating circulation, it also improves headaches due to insufficient blood flow.
• It is considered a good natural energizer
• It can be a great ally against rhema, gout, arthritis and processes that cause muscle pain.
• Stimulates intestinal transit.
• Being antiparasitic, it helps control intestinal yeast infections and parasites in children.

To take full advantage of its medicinal power and start the day with energy, it is advisable to consume between one and three teeth a day before breakfast. But it can also be used in numerous recipes, to which it will give an original and delicious touch.

5 times more phenols than white garlic

What differentiates black garlic from white, beyond its texture and flavor, is its greater antioxidant wealth. This is because allicin is transformed into S-allylcysteine, tetrahydro-carbonyls, bioactive alkaloids, and flavonoids upon maturation.

Antioxidants are not only more abundant – it has 5 times more polyphenols, compounds considered anticancer – but they also double the ability of fresh garlic to trap free radicals, agents that can damage cells.

How to make black garlic: a very careful process

Black garlic takes several weeks to develop its qualities. For them, the garlic bulbs are left to ferment with the skin at a gentle and constant temperature of 65 to 80 ° C and a controlled high humidity.

As the days go by, the Maillard reactions (chemical reactions produced between proteins and sugars when they are heated) give them reddish tones and then black. According to a study published in the journal Molecules , which reviews the properties of black garlic and its antioxidant capacity, the antioxidant level of black garlic reaches its peak at 21 days of maturation.

The production of black garlic is a completely natural process. No additives or preservatives are added, as garlic maintains its properties.

How to use it in the kitchen

There are endless possibilities to enjoy the benefits of black garlic in the kitchen, but the best way to optimize its flavor and properties is raw.

It can be used in all kinds of simple recipes. Here are some ideas:

• Add it laminated when serving a vegetable stir fry with mushrooms and turmeric or a rice.
• Season with it seitan, tofu or tempeh. It gives them a surprising touch as dignified as that of the black truffle.
• Use it to make your aioli. It is exquisite and does not leave bad breath.
• Sauté it in an asparagus scramble.
• Combine it with boiled rice seasoned with gomasio.
• Roll it over a leek quiche or vichyssoise. Decorate and contrast deliciously with the leek.

Black garlic is, in short, such an adaptable ingredient that once it is tasted it will awaken the creative capacity that we all carry within.