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How to prepare garlic to preserve all its medicinal properties
BENEFITS OF COOKING GARLIC WELL
How should garlic be prepared to be beneficial?
To have benefits, garlic must be consumed in a certain way:
In sufficient quantity: It is considered that you should eat between 1 and 2 cloves of garlic a day.
Properly: The medicinal principles of garlic are formed during the preparation of the food. You must crush the raw garlic and wait a few minutes for allicin and ajoene to form, due to the action of the alliinase enzyme. The garlic is then eaten raw or added to recipes.
Add to meals once crushed raw: It can be added at the end of creams, purees, soups, etc. (Cook for a short time).
Stir fry garlic or roasted garlic in the oven is not medicinal because the high temperature destroys its principles of allicin and ajoene.
Boiled garlic is not medicinal because since it has not been crushed, its principles have not been formed. Once boiled, the alliinase enzyme has been destroyed and even if it is crushed, allicin and ajoene will not be formed. However, boiled garlic is a good source of fructans, with a prebiotic effect to improve the microbiota or intestinal flora.
Does garlic powder have properties?
Garlic powder is one of the condiments richest in vitamin B6, to increase defenses. If garlic has been dried at controlled temperatures, the powdered or sliced garlic may retain its medicinal components of allicin and ajoene.
Healthy recipes with garlic
To obtain all the medicinal properties of garlic, it should be eaten previously crushed and preferably raw. The homemade aioli sauce, made only with garlic (at least 1 or 2 cloves), oil (oil of first cold pressure) and a little salt, is rich in garlic principles.
Another option is to add raw chopped garlic to recipes for vegetables, legumes, rice, meat, fish, omelets, etc.
It can be combined with celery, parsley or other aromatic herbs to nuance its flavor and make it less pungent.
A very traditional preparation is this natural syrup with honey, onion and garlic that was prepared for the sick to help them overcome colds or infections.
It has been described that black garlic or aged garlic, a preparation in which garlic is fermented and cooked under controlled humidity and temperature conditions, has a higher content of certain principles.
More information on garlic
