Is it better to eat garlic raw or cooked?

1. Tasty and healthy, an ideal combination! Garlic can withstand both tests effortlessly. The medicinal plant prevents, among other things, cardiovascular diseases. But is it better to eat garlic raw or cooked? Well, raw garlic tastes much more intense and pungent than cooked. And the crushed or peeled garlic is also said to have the greatest effect on health. This is due to the fact that during cooking, parts of the valuable essential substance allicin dissolve or lose their effect. When you put the raw cloves in oil, you enhance the health-promoting effects while reducing the tart flavor.

Garlic, praised by gourmets for its taste and strong aroma

1. Garlic (Allium Sativum) is a bulbous plant that reaches a height of about 70 centimeters. The first sprout grows from the garlic clove in the spring. The leaves are located directly on the stem and are tapered. Garlic blooms in the summer months, the flowers are whitish with a light red hue. The hatching onions arise on the flowers, but the garlic also multiplies via the onion in the soil. The stems wither during the flowering period and a tuber forms from the toe, which in turn also has toes. Garlic is known for its flavor and strong aroma.

Health-promoting effects of allicin

1. The cloves of garlic are attributed health-promoting effects. That would be due to ingredients such as:

The beneficial effects of garlic

1. The active ingredient allicin, which is produced when the cloves of garlic are cut, not only gives off the characteristic odor, but is also responsible for the main therapeutic effect of garlic. Allicin would counteract the growth of bacteria and fungi and the sulfur-containing substance would even work against viruses. In addition, garlic is said to protect the blood vessels, work against high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and / or strokes.

Eating garlic and bad breath

1. The sulfur-containing ingredients of garlic cloves are responsible for the typical odor that people exude through their respiration and skin after eating. It is true that this bad breath cannot be completely eliminated, but with breath fresheners it can be somewhat controlled. And the fact is: the fresher the cloves, the weaker the scent.

Raw or cooked, also a matter of personal taste

1. Whether you prepare raw or cooked garlic ultimately also depends on your personal taste and how important you find the health-promoting effect. If you prefer a milder aroma, you can also briefly dip garlic cloves in hot water or warm milk. When preparing food, preferably add the garlic relatively late, so that the taste does not evaporate completely.

Eat garlic pure

1. Some people eat cloves of garlic pure, just like they take tablets, intended to prevent disease or simply to strengthen blood circulation. That is not necessary: ​​just because raw garlic is the most healthy does not mean that you should eat it pure. By the way, garlic can also be enjoyed raw in other ways, for example as an addition to salads or as garlic butter. For the latter, mix some soft butter or margarine with small pieces of garlic and some parsley. You can spread the butter on bread or use it as a dipping sauce. Garlic butter also goes well with grilled meat or fish.

Can you eat the green germ?

1. A common claim is that removing the green germ from the core of garlic cloves also decreases its intensity. Because that core contains many sharp and essential oils. Some even claim that the core is poisonous, showing that the toe has already gone bad. But what is true of that statement? Indeed, the green discoloration in the interior of the cloves is an indication that the garlic is already starting to sprout. In addition to a pink discoloration on the outside, fresh garlic can be recognized by the fact that the green core is not yet present or is only very small. If the seed germ is more emphatically present, you can still eat the cloves without hesitation. However, it is better that you cut away the core because it tastes bitter.

Recognizing fresh garlic

1. But if a green shoot is already visible on the top of the garlic clove, you should never eat it again. Not only does it taste bitter, it is also poisonous. To ensure that garlic does not germinate so quickly, you should pay attention to freshness when buying. Fresh garlic can be recognized by the fact that the tuber is firm, without sprouts, and has a dry, papery “skin”. It is also important that you store garlic in a dry, dark place, preferably in a special garlic jar, a ceramic jar with a lid.