GarlicBotanically name Allium sativum, L. Because of their attractive flavor and acknowledged medicinal properties the bulb or “cloves” of garlic have been used in the cuisine of most Mediterranean countries since the dawn of history.
Like onions the entire cloves are almost without odor but once cut or bruised they produce an intensity strong and characteristics odor which too many is obnoxious.
The chemistry of the compounds responsible for the garlic profile is similar to the found in onion. The differences are attributed to qualitative and quantitative differences in the precursors present; the active ingredients being primarily allyl (2-propenyl) sulfides together with much smaller amounts of methyl and 1-prophykl compounds.
The flavor of onion and garlic is complementary the former being mild and sweet whereas the latter is harsh and insistent, because of its relatively high flavoring power, garlic is frequently blended with onion in order to increase the initial impact of the onion but this can only be done to a very limited extent as garlic is quickly recognizable as such and its flavor associations are not always acceptable.
If garlic is incorporated into an end product which is to be distributed in a container such as a screw capped bottle or jar, the head space above the product nearly always has a higher proportion of the garlic odor.
This may be detectable as such and detract from the product even though the product itself may not contain a sufficient level of garlic to be noticeable when the product is consumed.
Garlic
