That wonderfully stinky garlic

Have you ever noticed how garlic can make almost anything taste better? The other night I wanted to cook some white fish, but when I opened the package I couldn’t believe how fishy it smelled! I crushed and chopped four cloves of garlic and sauteed them in a small amount of coconut oil, then put the fish in the pan. Within minutes the smell of fish was replaced by a wonderful aroma of garlic.

Garlic does a lot more than just improve flavor, though. First mentioned as a medicine about 6,000 years ago, garlic has been an important part of healing throughout the world. Even Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used garlic to heal infections and reduce pain. It is now known as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antibacterial. Allicin, a compound in garlic that is also found in onions, accounts for it’s pungent smell and powerful cancer-protective punch. [Read more…]