Garlic, an Edible Biography: The History, Politics, and Mythology behind the World’s Most Pungent Food--with over 100 Recipes

613 Pages·2014·1.17 MB·English

by  Robin Cherry

“Garlic lovers unite! No other allium has been as maligned and rebuffed
throughout history as this stinky bulb. Yet its powerful medicinal benefits
have been touted for centuries. This masterful work integrates the history,
legends, lore, and even vampire tales of garlic, along with an inspired
selection of recipes from condiments to desserts. A must-have book for a
cook’s library.”
—Diane Morgan, author of Roots: The Definitive Compendium
“This lovely historical and international tour of the many faces of garlic,
with enticing recipes, is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in
learning to use garlic in more ways in their kitchen.”
—Tama Matsuoka Wong, author of Foraged Flavor and forager for the
restaurant Daniel
ABOUT THE BOOK
Garlic is the Lord Byron of produce, a lusty rogue that charms and seduces
you, but runs off before dawn leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Called
everything from “rustic cure-all” to “Russian penicillin,” “Bronx vanilla,”
and “Italian perfume,” garlic has been loved, worshiped, and despised
throughout history. Robin Cherry’s Garlic is an “edible biography” of one
of the foundational ingredients of world cooking. While this book does not
claim that garlic saved civilization (though it might cure whatever ails you),
it does take us on a grand tour of garlic’s fascinating role in history,
medicine, literature, and art; its controversial role in bigotry, mythology,
and superstition; and its indispensable contribution to the great cuisines of
the world. But just to make sure the appetite doesn’t feel slighted, over 100
recipes that feature garlic are included too, from Italy’s Pasta Aglio Olio to
China’s Good Fortune Garlic Lettuce. Garlic is a compelling story about an
elemental, earthy, and rustic food with truly deep roots.
Travel writer and historian ROBIN CHERRY is the author of Catalog: The
Illustrated History of Mail Order Shopping. She was the publisher of
Organic Style books and the circulation director of Organic Gardening and
Organic Style magazines at Rodale. She has written for The Atlantic, Travel
+ Leisure, Dwell, Salon, and many other publications and websites. As a
travel writer, she has already visited many of the places featured in Garlic,
including India, China, the Middle East, Russia, Europe, and Gilroy,
California.
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“We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the
cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the
garlick.”
—The Holy Bible (King James Version), Numbers 11
“And, most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter
sweet breath.”
—William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, act 4, scene 2
“A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat.”
—Yiddish proverb
an Edible Biography
THE HISTORY, POLITICS, AND MYTHOLOGY
BEHIND THE WORLD’S MOST PUNGENT
FOOD, WITH OVER 100 RECIPES
Robin Cherry
ROOST BOOKS
Boston
2014
Roost Books
An imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall
300 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
roostbooks.com
Cover design by Jim Zaccaria Cover photograph by Michael Piazza
© 2014 by Robin Cherry Recipes by Mary Deir Donovan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Cherry, Robin.
Garlic, an edible biography: the history, politics, and mythology behind the world’s most pungent food:
with over 100 recipes / Robin Cherry.
pages cm
eISBN 978-0-83482994-7
ISBN 978-1-61180-160-6 (paperback) 1. Cooking (Garlic)—History. 2. Garlic. I. Title.
TX819.G3C45 2014
641.3′526—dc23
2014007482
Contents
Introduction
PART ONE The Story of Garlic
1. The Elixir of Life: Garlic and Health
2. Liberté, Egalité, Garlic Soufflé: Garlic and Food
3. High Stakes and Love Charms: Garlic in Legend and Lore
4. Growing Your Own
PART TWO Recipes
Recipe List
Garlic Handling and Preparation
Dips, Sauces, and Condiments
Bread, Pizza, and Pasta
Soups
Salads and Salad Dressings
Appetizers
Poultry
Lamb
Beef
Pork
Seafood
Vegetarian
Side Dishes
Dessert
Historical Recipes
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
E-mail Sign-Up
INTRODUCTION
Garlic is the Lord Byron of produce, a lusty rogue that charms and seduces you
but runs off before dawn, leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Yet despite its
powers of seduction, garlic itself is asexual, grown from cloves without
pollination. Called everything from rustic cure-all and Russian penicillin to
Bronx vanilla and Italian perfume, the sulfurous bulb has permeated the history
of mankind (literally) and been variously loved, worshiped, defamed, and
despised. King Henry IV of France was baptized with it, and corpses were
embalmed with it. It’s credited with curing everything from baldness and scurvy
to cancer and the plague and is one of the few products used in the world’s three
major ancient healing systems: Indian Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine,
and traditional European medicine.
People throughout the world rely on garlic’s powers of protection, and it’s
said to ward off vampires and other evil spirits, to protect babies and Belizean
cab drivers, to bring luck to soldiers and jockeys, and according to Swedish
farmers, to protect cows from trolls.
Sadly, garlic has also been used to discriminate against different ethnic and
religious groups, especially Jews, Italians, and Koreans, and “garlic eaters” has
been used as a derogatory slur for centuries. Today, with attendance at Gilroy,
California’s annual garlic festival topping 100,000, it’s hard to think of “garlic
eater” as an insult. A love for garlic has become a point of pride. You’ve
probably never been to a carrot festival, but garlic festivals take place throughout
the world from Gilroy, California, and the Hudson Valley, New York, to the Isle
of Wight, United Kingdom, and Takko-Machi, Japan. Other foods may have
fans; garlic has lovers.
Like many people who grew up in the 1960s and ’70s, I have Julia Child to