Garlic Deserves Its Own National Day

Nutritionally garlic is an excellent source of manganese, an essential trace mineral that is important for skin, bone, and cartilage formation as well as pituitary gland function and glucose tolerance. Garlic is also a very good source of Pyroxidine, a B vitamin, and Vitamin C. Although garlic is available in powder, flake, and chopped form, to gain the most nutritional benefit it is best to start with fresh, raw garlic.
Culinarily garlic is used around the world in many different cuisines; it is frequently paired with onions and tomatoes. Cooking the garlic helps to mellow the flavor. The scapes, or green shoots, are also edible and often added to stir fry dishes. Even the flowers are edible and can be used in salads for a mild flavor similar to chives. Many people like to flavor oils with garlic, if doing this at home it is important to note that the oil should be refrigerated and used within a week as otherwise there is a risk of botulism. Commercially sold oils with garlic are treated with acids or other chemicals to prevent the possibility of botulism. The distinct taste and smell of garlic comes from the sulfur compounds allicin, alliin and ajoene. When metabolized these compounds form Allyl methyl sulfide, a gas which is passed into the blood and disbursed through the lungs and the skin. A temporary way to cleanse the breath is to eat fresh parsley but this will not remove the odor from the skin and only works for a short time.