Garlic is one of the most commonly used vegetables in India. Garlic is also known as Lassan and its botanical name is Allium sativum Linn. It belongs to the Lilliaceae family and is known by several many names in different parts of India. Its Sanskrit name is Lashuna. The Hindi names of Garlic are Lasum, Lassan, Lahsun and it is called as Naharu in Assamese. The Bengali speaking people call it as Rasun, it is known as Lasan in Gujarati and in Kannada; its name is Belluli. The name of Garlic in Kashmiri is Rahan and the Malayalam speaking people know it as Velluli. While, it is known as Lusoon in Marathi, in Oriya; its name is Rasuna. The Punjabi speaking people call Garlic as Lassan or Lasum and it is known as Ullipundu and Vellaip-pundu in Tamil. Garlic is called as Velluri in Telugu and in Urdu; it is called as Lessun and Lashun. Garlic is cultivated in all over India and the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Bihar are the premium producers of Garlic in India.
Since the ancient times, Garlic has been used as a valuable condiment for foods in India. It has also been used quite extensively as a popular remedy for various ailments and psychological disorders. Garlic has a special mention in the Hindu mythology. According to Hindu mythology, the gods and the demons once churned the sea, using earth as the axis and divine snake Basuki as the rope. Many precious materials came out due to churning of the sea. Along with the materials, a pot of nectar also came out and consuming the nectar was believed to have capacity to make one immortal. The gods and demons fought against each other for this pot and eventually, the gods took possession of the pot. The King of gods, Indra took the pot to heaven for distributing to gods. However, he first offered it to his wife Sachi, before distributing to others. After consuming it, Sachi could not digest the nectar and thus vomited. A drop of her vomit fell from heaven on the earth and a small plant emerged from that drop. This plant is known as Garlic. According to Hindu Mythology, Garlic is foul smelling because it had emerged from vomit. The mythology also mentioned that Garlic has several medicinal virtues, as it had emerged from heavenly nectar.
Garlic is a hardy bulbous perennial having narrow flat leaves. The plant bears small white flowers and bulbils and the bulb comprises 6 to 30 smaller bulblets called `cloves`. The bulb remains surrounded by a thin white or pinkish papery sheath. Garlic has a stronger flavour in comparison to onion or its other allies. Garlic requires well-drained, moderately clayey and argillaceous soil and a high elevation (900 to 1200 meters) to grow properly. It also requires a cool moist period during its growth and a relatively dry period during the maturing of crop. Usually, Garlic takes about 4 to 5 months to mature. It is grown as a late season irrigated crop.
Garlic has many uses. It is mostly used for culinary purposes and people all over the world use it as a condiment for different food items. In India and other Asian countries, it is used in several food preparations like chutneys, pickles, curry powders, curried vegetables, meat preparations, tomato ketchup, etc. The raw garlic can also be used in the manufacturing of garlic powder, garlic salt, garlic vinegar, garlic cheese croutons, garlic potato chips, garlic bread, etc.
Garlic is cultivated throughout India in warm and mild climates. It is quite easy to cultivate garlic, as the plant can be grown year-round. The cloves can be planted in the ground about six weeks before the soil freezes, in cold climates and it can be harvested in late spring. A good thing about Garlic is that the plants never get attacked by pests. They can only suffer from pink root, which is a disease that stunts the roots and turns them pink or red. The garlic plants usually grow close together and leave enough room for the bulbs to mature. They are easily grown in containers of sufficient depth. Many subspecies of Garlic are grown in India, out of which, the hard neck garlic and soft neck garlic are the most notable ones. However, each subspecies of garlic requires different latitude to grow properly, as the plant can be day-length sensitive. While the hard neck garlic is grown best in cooler climates, the soft neck garlic is generally grown closer to the equator.
Besides the culinary usages, garlic is also well known for having numerous valuable medicinal properties. Garlic is considered one of the oldest medicines in the world and is used in making remedies for various ailments and physiological disorders. According to the traditional Indian medication Ayurveda, Garlic is one of the most effective antimicrobial herbs, as it has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anthelmintic and antiseptic properties. The Unani medicine describes garlic as carminative and as a gastric stimulant. It can aid in digestion and absorption of food and is also given in flatulence. In modern Allopathic treatment, garlic is used in a number of patented medicines and other preparations. The active principle in garlic is an antibiotic named allicin. Garlic is used in treatment of the diseases like running cold, saliva formation, chronic bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, whooping cough, bronchitic asthma, influenza, chronic diarrhea, pulmonary tuberculosis, rheumatism, impotence, etc. It can also fight infection, reduce cholesterol, protect against heat diseases and stroke, control diabetes, and prevent cancer.
India is also a major exporter of garlic bulbs, dehydrated garlic, garlic powder and garlic oil, etc. all over the world. The main harvesting season of garlic in India is the months of December to January and the marketing season is during the months of February to March. India mainly exports garlic to the countries like Sri Lanka, USA, UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The garlic powder, dehydrated flakes oils and oleoresins are exported keeping all constituents intact, only except its pungent odour. Garlic salt is another product that has great demand in trade of commerce due to various reasons. The Associated Agricultural Development Foundation (AADF) has developed three cultivars of garlic named Agrifound White, Yamuna Safed, and Agrifound Parvati, for extensive cultivation in India.
Many people in India often avoid using garlic even for medicinal purposes. The main reason is that, garlic has repulsive odour. However, preparing odourless garlic powder is not tough and can be done by inactivating the enzyme alliance in garlic. There are some side effects of garlic, as well. Consuming large amounts of garlic can cause heartburn, especially during pregnancy. If left in contact with skin of mucous membranes, fresh garlic can also cause local irritation and ulceration.
Fresh peeled garlic cloves have the following composition:
| Moisture:62.8 % |
Total ash:1.0 % |
Calcium:0.03 % |
Vitamin C:13 mg/100 g |
| Protein:6.3 % |
Fiber:0.8 % |
Phosphorus:0.31 % |
Nicotinic acid:0.4 mg/100 g |
| Fat:0.1 % |
Carbohydrates:29.0 % |
Iron:0.001 % |
Calorific value:142 calories/100 g. |
Garlic powder or the dehydrated garlic has the following composition:
| Moisture:5.2 % |
Calcium:0.1 % |
Vitamin B2:0.08 mg/100 g |
| Protein:17.5 % |
Phosphorous:0.42 % |
Niacin:0.7 mg/100 g |
| Fat:0.6 % |
Sodium:0.01 % |
Vitamin C:2.0 mg/100 g |
| Total ash:3.2 % |
Iron:0.004 % |
Vitamin A:75 I.U./100 g |
| Fiber:1.9 % |
Potassium:1.1 % |
Calorific value (food energy):80 calories/100 g. |
| Carbohydrates:71.4 % |
Vitamin B1:0.68 mg/100g. |
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