#2: China produces the most garlic in the world. California grows nearly 90 percent of the garlic in the U.S., but China cultivates the most globally, producing 59 metric tons of garlic annually – around 66 percent of total world production.
#3: Humans have been using garlic for 7,000 years. There are references to garlic in ancient medical texts dating as far back as 7,000 years from Egypt, China, Greece, Rome and India, and recorded culinary uses in the Middle East, Asia and Mediterranean dating back to 3,000 B.C.E.
#4: “Garlic breath” can allegedly be killed by parsley. Hence the hordes of recipes containing both garlic and parsley.
#5: Garlic is good for you. When you cut garlic, its thiosulfinate compounds turn into allicin, which is purported to lower “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure. A legion of vitamins, amino acids and minerals reside in garlic, as well, including potassium, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin C and selenium. Antioxidants also abound.
If You Go:
3rd Annual Garlic Fest
Queen Creek Olive Mill
Free
Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25
Queencreekolivemill.com
Image credit: By Lee Kindness – http://www.pbase.com/wangi/macro (http://www.pbase.com/wangi/image/43467738), CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1050609
