Joanna Blythman - Go Easy On The Garlic

When people say they don’t like garlic, it may just be because they don’t appreciate its subtleties

- Joanna Blythman

@joannablythman

I like garlic, I really do, but I think this country needs some education in how to use it. We have a tendency to overdo this aromatic bulb. Whether it’s garlic bread, hummus, aïoli, or guacamole, too often we’re served overpowering, mouth tugging renditions.

I have never encountered such belligerently garlicky dishes in any of the countries we associate with garlic production. The French classic, poulet aux 40 gousses d’ail – chicken roasted in a cocotte (a cast-iron or ceramic cooking pot) in the oven with no fewer than 40 unpeeled cloves – is mellow and rounded by the time it is cooked. Gazpacho served in Spain tastes more of tomatoes and sherry vinegar than garlic. In Palestine, the hummus I tasted daily was all about the chickpea and tahini flavours, with garlic well on the back-foot. A garlic-ginger paste is a building block of many recipes from the Indian subcontinent, yet the garlic quietly cohabits with spices to create a balanced effect.