Garlic (Allium sativum) has a long and fascinating history that spans thousands of years and touches nearly every major civilization. Here's an imprecise breakdown of garlic's travels.

Garlic has been cultivated for over 5,000 years, originating in Central Asia—modern-day Iran and Turkmenistan. Its wild relative, Allium longicuspis, likely is the "parent" to the garlic we know today.

By 3000 BCE, Egyptians gave garlic to laborers to boost strength and stamina. Its cherished value was also high—garlic was found in King Tutankhamun's tomb, alongside honey.

In Mesopotamia, Sumerian clay tablets (2600-2100 BCE) mention garlic as both a food and medicine. Around 1500 BCE, Ayurvedic texts praised garlic for aiding digestion and boosting energy.

By 2000 BCE, it was used in Chinese cooking and Traditional Medicine, considered a warming herb that stimulated the body's systems. The Greeks and Romans valued garlic, too, as athletes ate it before competitions, and soldiers used it to enhance courage. Hippocrates prescribed it for respiratory issues and parasites.

Modern medicine allows for the replacement of almost any part on our body now, though I don't think the results are always better than your Original Equipment parts. And, like STP, it is what we put into our bodies that can make it all run better, even if conventional science says we're wacky.

Garlic is known in legends, as well as in practical life, as a healer and cure-all for many ailments. For improving one's health, including coronary heart disease, reducing high blood pressure, improving cholesterol levels, and various fungal infections.

In addition garlic contains organosulfur compounds that help detoxify carcinogens and may slow tumor growth. Epidemiological studies suggest garlic consumption is linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers: stomach, colon, prostate, and esophageal.

These medicinal claims are most likely true, but as a tasty ingredient it is one of my favorites and essential in so many recipes. Hated by many, but loved by more, its popularity has spawned thousands of restaurants with the word "garlic" in their name.

Health claims aside, science has tried but has not been able to disprove that garlic repels vampires. And it does appear that a clove a day will keep mosquitoes at bay!

The healthiest way to consume garlic is raw and freshly prepared, as this maximizes the formation of allicin, a sulfur compound associated with many of garlic's health benefits, including supporting immune function and heart health.

Allicin forms only when garlic is chopped, crushed, or chewed, triggering a reaction between two natural components: alliin and the enzyme alliinase. To allow this reaction to complete, it's best to let the crushed or chopped garlic rest for about 10 minutes before consuming or adding it to food.

This waiting period helps maximize allicin production before the garlic is exposed to heat, which can destroy the enzyme needed for its formation.

Allicin is highly unstable and sensitive to temperature. Cooking garlic, especially at high heat, destroys alliinase, preventing allicin from forming.

Even once formed, allicin breaks down quickly with heat. As a result, raw, freshly minced garlic is the most potent form. Cooked garlic still offers health benefits due to other sulfur compounds but contains little to no allicin.

Softneck garlic generally has significantly less allicin than hardneck garlic. Some sources indicate that hardnecks can have up to 3 times more.

Garlic powder, while convenient, contains virtually no allicin, though it may retain some antioxidant properties.

To enjoy raw garlic without the harsh bite, try mixing it into guacamole, salad dressings, yogurt sauces, marinades, or blending it with honey or butter as a spread.

Ancient Egyptian laborers, including those who worked on monumental structures like the pyramids, were given garlic to help boost their stamina and strength. Some believe that without garlic the pyramids would not have been built.

Click Here To Go Shopping at ChefShop.com!

This soup is easy if you take your time and the reward is not only from the result, but from the process! And you get your garlic craving satisfied!

See the Chicken Soup with Garlic, Saffron, Basil, and Tomatoes Recipe here!

So much fun to cook and eat! This skinny spaghetti is a treat.

Capellini #3 (also known as Spaghettini #3) Italian pasta is about a third thinner than spaghetti, but slightly thicker than what you might think of as typical angel hair pasta. It is a good choice with light seafood sauces.

Made with certified Italian Grown Durum wheat.

Shop now for Sgambaro #3 Spaghettini Pasta!

And the results are so delicious! Taste test as you make it!

See the Garlic Vinaigrette Recipe Here!

This oak-aged Trio Red Wine Vinegar from Katz Farms takes two years to make.

This terrific vinegar is crafted using the traditional "Orleans" Method.

It's a blend of carefully selected vintages of Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from the heart of one of the world's great wine appellations, the Sonoma Valley. "Trio" has been crafted to mirror the classic Meritage blends where small lots of selected red varietals are mixed to create wines of great structure and character.

The finished blend is well-balanced and full-flavored and retains the varietal characteristics of the grapes with nuances of cherry, raspberry and oak.

This vinegar will enliven your favorite dishes and create distinctive dressings and sauces. The Sonoma Trio is a favorite of many of America's top chefs. Try reducing it for sauces for meats or grilled peaches or figs, and use it in your next dressing.

Chefs love this vinegar! Not as opinionated as some red vins which makes it versatile!

Shop now for Red Wine Trio Vinegar here!

This young Organic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP has both, a fresh sweet and sour taste. With notes of fresh must and red fruit with a thin viscosity. A great daily balsamic and a favorite of many for years now. From salads to vegetables to the grill, this is a balsamic to have in your cupboard.

La Vecchia Dispensa is one of the oldest factories in Modena, that still produces Balsamic Vinegar in the ancient tradition.

Balsamic vinegar's origins trace back to the 11th century in Modena and Reggio Emilia regions of Italy.

Initially created by families as a local delicacy, balsamic vinegar gained prominence during the Renaissance period as aristocratic households refined its production techniques.

In these regions, the traditional method of making balsamic vinegar involves pressing grapes, primarily Trebbiano, and heating the resulting grape must until it reduces and caramelizes. This concentrated syrup undergoes fermentation with the aid of natural yeasts and bacteria, transforming into vinegar over time.

The vinegar is then aged in a series of wooden barrels at the discretion of the maker, made from different woods such as oak, chestnut, cherry, or mulberry, imparting nuanced flavors and complexities.

This aging process, which can take over a decade or more, contributes to the vinegar's distinct characteristic creating an elixir that is special.

Traditional balsamic vinegar is produced in limited quantities by artisans following strict PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) regulations to preserve its authenticity and quality. This PDO status ensures that traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena and Reggio Emilia adheres to specific standards regarding grape varieties, production methods, aging processes, and labeling.

This complex, delicious organic balsamic vinegar is made from the combination of cooked grape must that has been aged with high quality, aged wine vinegar. With 6% acidity, it is perfect for salads, for drizzling with olive oil, and for grilled vegetables.

Shop now for La Vecchia Dispensa Organic Balsamic here!

To the nose, the first whiff is definitely olive oil.

To the eye, it's a very delicate yellow green color that is quite enticing.

The first sip is light banana-eee, with some very light hints of artichoke and avocado With the overall feeling of a cloud.

It all disappears very quickly with hints of bitterness on the edges and then overall. That wonderful bitterness transitions to a nice, gentle but very present tickle, and a cough is produced in the back of the throat. This tells you a lot about the oil and its provenance.

This lightness with distinct olive oil flavors makes it a wonderful, special every day oil.

What's really fun about this oil is that as you taste it you experience it and then when it's done it's gone. That is a pretty special quality. Clarity. That is a nice quality to have.

A wonderfully clean, refreshing taste! Perfect alone on pasta or plays well in a vinaigrette!

Shop now for U-NA NUMA EVOO Olive Oil!

Easy to make your own mayonnaise with garlic!

See the Garlic and Olive Oil Mayonnaise Recipe here!

The extracted juice is not sweet; instead, it is a full, vibrant flavor of citrus juice combined with the oils from the peel, making for an amazingly thick, rich flavor of yuzu.

This 100% pure Yuzu extract is made from the Yuzu grown in the Kawakami region of Yamaguchi, Japan. Registered as a national monument in 1941, Kawakami is a native habitat of yuzu.

Unlike many juice manufacturers, which crush the citrus to extract as much as possible, Kankitsu Labo finely presses from the sides to emulate hand squeezing.

The result produces a pure extract that has elements from the whole fruit, oils from the skin to the juice inside, creating a lot of yuzu flavor.

This extract is made from whole fruit, cold-pressed yuzu.

The extracted juice is not sweet; instead, it is a full, vibrant flavor of citrus juice combined with the oils from the peel, making for an amazingly thick, rich flavor of yuzu.

Shop now for Labo 100% Pure Cold Pressed Yuzu Extract here!

I love eggplant! Especially when someone else makes it! This recipe is simple, easy and bound for success!

See the Eggplant Stuffed with Garlic Recipe here!

When you grind your peppercorns it is the difference between adding flavor and little flakes of nothing.

And the type of peppercorns matter!

The term "Tellicherry" originated when these large, black peppercorns were exported from the Indian port city of the same name.

These Tellicherry peppercorns are pungent, with the deepest, hottest flavor you'll ever find! Once traded, ounce for ounce, for pure gold, these Indian black peppercorns are still a superlative spice that can add a depth of flavor—first heat, then a tinge of sweetness—to your everyday meals.

Black pepper is produced from the still-green, unripe drupes of the pepper plant. The drupes are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding up the work of browning enzymes during drying.

The drupes are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn.

In general, the later the pepper is picked, the better its flavor maximizing the taste of the Tellicherry peppercorns. However, waiting too long to pick is a gamble, too; ripe pepper fruits will rot if left too long, and there is also an increased risk of loss to hungry birds or unfavorable weather.

Picking black Tellicherry pepper at just the right moment involves keen judgment and results in Indian black peppercorns with truly excellent flavor.

Shop now for Tellicherry Peppercorns!

Shauna Ahern, the original Gluten-Free author, is an amazing person, an amazing writer, and an amazing cook. Add to that, a very talented husband chef, and you have a winning combination, and a great book.

See the Curried Carrot Soup Recipe Here!

Established in 1876 for export to England, the Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder tin encases a recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation, maintaining the quality that the two founders, Merwanjee and Poonjiajee, created 145+ years ago.

Madras Curry is like many spice mixtures; there are many variations of the ingredients and proportions. Madras, (or Madrasapattinam) India, now called Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India, is on the Coromandel Coast and is the second largest port in India.

Sun Brand Madras Curry was one of the first Indian curries to be exported.

We carry Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder because many of our curry lovers tell us it is the best out there. Of course, you can make your own...but we like the very fine powder and the ease of having it in our Essential Pantry.

A yellow curry powder with a following! Try this Indian yellow curry powder brand and see what people are talking about!

Add curry powder to dishes like chicken, beef, or vegetable curries. Saute the curry powder in some oil to release its flavors before adding your main ingredients (meat, vegetables, or legumes) and liquids (broth, coconut milk, or tomatoes).

Stir a teaspoon or two of curry powder into soups and stews (like lentil, pumpkin, or potato soup) to enhance the flavor. Add it early in the cooking process for a deeper flavor.

Mix curry powder with yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger to create a marinade for chicken, lamb, or tofu. The spices infuse into the protein, making it tender and flavorful.

Add curry powder to rice or quinoa while cooking for a fragrant, spiced grain base. You can saute the curry powder with oil before adding water or broth to cook the rice for a more aromatic result.

Mix curry powder into yogurt, mayonnaise, or sour cream to create a flavorful dressing or dip for salads, roasted veggies, or grilled meats.

Toss veggies (like cauliflower, potatoes, or carrots) in curry powder, olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast them. The curry powder caramelizes with the veggies and gives them a warm, earthy flavor.

Shop now for Madras Curry Powder!

"By decree in France, the term "confitore" can only be used with a sugar level greater than 55%, which is why we will not find the word "jam" on our pots." - La Trinquelinette

In 1982, La Trinquelinette was founded by Bernard Berriley in the village of Trinquelin, a village in the Morvan National Park, in the Burgundy Region of France. A fruit farmer who turned his crop into jam with the credo of "More Fruit and Less Sugar".

Celine Dubreuil took over in 2019, producing the jams and compotes flavors in the same tradition and creating new flavors, as well. It is the careful selection of the fruit itself, that contributes to these amazing treats!

La Trinquelinette preserves are crafted using traditional recipes that emphasize the natural flavors of the fruit, without the use of additives or preservatives. The process is deliberately small-scale and artisanal, ensuring that each jar reflects the character of the fruit and the region.

La Trinquelinette preserves are made with an exceptionally high fruit content—up to 83%, compared to the 30-50% typical of many commercial jams. This results in a more intense fruit flavor.

The cooking process is done in small batches in open copper cauldrons, allowing for better evaporation and concentration of the fruit's natural sugars and flavors.

The fruit is often sourced from local growers or regions renowned for specific varieties, such as apricots from Provence or raspberries from Brittany. This dedication to high-quality ingredients ensures that each preserve captures the essence of the fruit at its peak ripeness.

Shop now for La Trinquelinette and see which ones are here!

Sometimes unrequited love is worth it.

For many of us, apricots are a "Yeah, whatever" or “Never touch 'em" and others can't wait until May or June when the first of the apricots are ripe on the tree. (This is really a sweet year for apricots.) A great fresh apricot is like candy. Hard to comprehend when our first taste of an apricot is a dried one, tart and chewy and quite unappealing. So we think, why bother?

So many foods, when you enjoy them fresh, as close to the earth as possible and picked-at-their-peak, can be mind-blowingly good. Like a fresh apricot.

And sometimes, those foods can be transformed, placed into a jar and come out just like you want them to be. Freshly delicious!

And that is what we have here. Apricot fruit cooked in a copper cauldron with brown sugar, where time and patience make all the difference.

This jam is by all standards, amazing! It tastes like fresh apricots, though never sharp or sour, it is a spoonful of a sweet treat.

The flavor of apricot, the way a freshly bitten fruit would be, is all there, swelling like a balloon rising, the smoothness of the flavor envelops all the senses, with the right cheek filling more than the left and then the tongue feels the weight of the flavor. And then suddenly you realize the physical being is gone, and all you are tasting is the memory!

And what a memory! It is indeed splendiferous.

And it is indeed spoon-ready, perfect for a croissant, sourdough bread, scone, oatmeal, cheese, pork chop and chicken. And of course, crepes!

Shop now for La Trinquelinette Apricot Jam!