It doesn’t smell like garlic. It doesn’t taste much like garlic. It looks like garlic but it’s black?! Black Garlic? Hmmmmm….
Black Garlic
I must admit I was rather dubious like most people who probably walk past it in the many places this is now available. But I was also fascinated at the same time.
It is basically garlic which has undergone a three week, very secretive, fermentation process and then dried out before being used. It was first used and produced in South Korea as a health food – Taoism professes it to be a food of immortality!
It tastes like molasses but garlicky at the same time. The texture is tougher and thicker than garlic cloves. There’s no oil oozing out when you try to crush this, it squishes just like liquorice.
It comes in bulb form as pictured above but also ready peeled in a little tub which seems to keep forever in the fridge.
There are some lovely recipes on the Black Garlic UK website for inspiration. I did try it in risotto with thyme but needed to use 6 cloves to get any flavour rather than the 4 suggested. I was going through a bit of a savoury biscuit phase when this arrived so I made these Black Garlic, Carrot and Thyme Oat Cookies which were surprisingly amaaaazing with a slice of cheddar cheese and a strong cup of Darjeeling.
Black Garlic, Carrot, Thyme and Oat Cookies
I also used them in a simple Goat’s Cheese Dip which was fabulous with the Panisses from Alain Ducasse’s book.
Black Garlic and Goat's Cheese Dip
Black Garlic is super healthy too – full of antioxidants. The manufacturers claim that these little black jewels are easier to digest compared with white garlic because they contains compounds soluble in water rather than in fat. This means your body will absorb all the natural occurring benefits quicker and more easily.
Personally the health benefits are an added bonus. This tastes really, really lovely and is a brilliant snack for commuting. Take the pot out and you get a nice clear space around you 🙂 Brilliant!
What do you think? Tempted to have a go?