Purple garlic vs white garlic. Herb your enthusiasm! Let’s unfold the differences of each kind, clove by clove!
Purple Garlic Or White Garlic – They Are The Kings Of Aromatics
Wrapped up perfectly in a sheath of white covering, garlic offers a variety of health benefits. It is an acrid ingredient that is sure to amp up any dish. Making it special, aromatic, and savory. Given its taste and pungent nature, it is rarely eaten raw. Garlic can also give your dish that kick of spice and aroma. An aroma so strong and amazing that your neighbors will catch a whiff of the deliciousness from less than a mile away!
In addition to having many health advantages, garlic is a delectable condiment that is ingrained in many food cultures.
Ah! Garlic. When roasted in olive oil, it becomes soft like butter. It tastes bit strong and harsh when you chop it. In an oil form it can comfort sore muscles and help you get rid of pain. Sometimes garlic is also used to brew tea. But regardless of how you use it, garlic has got alot of benefits. In addition to being absolutely delicious!
Different Varieties Of Garlic
So, you went to the grocery store to pick up some garlic. You arrive at the vegetable section. Just when you were laying your eyes on the garlic which you always knew, there’s a different colored variety just sitting next to the garlic you had your eyes on. It appears purple-ish. Now you’re getting confused. And want to know if the garlic you always knew had other family members you didn’t know about. Don’t worry! We did some research, so you don’t have to!
The classifications of softneck and hardneck garlic are used to differentiate this aromatic. Allium sativum or “softneck” garlic(or white garlic) is a variety of garlic that grows best in areas with a softer climate. Softneck garlic typically has multiple little cloves per bulb. It matures more quickly than “hardneck” (purple garlic) garlic. They also don’t form scapes.
The long flowering stalk that sprouts small bulbils at the tip of its woody stem is known as a “garlic scape”. and is present in hardneck garlic kinds. The single row of cloves that comprise the garlic bulb are bound together in a papery sheath beneath the garlic scape. Which is the central flowering stem.
The Classification
Alright, so now you’re wondering how is purple and white garlic classified. Let’s walk you through it and help you understand it better.
Although the inside cloves of purple garlic are the same color as white garlic cloves. The papery skin of the plant has a purple tint. It comes from a type of garlic known as hardneck garlic. And each bulb has a woody stalk growing through the middle of it.
In most supermarket stores, white garlic is what you’ll generally find. It is a softneck garlic type, which means the stem doesn’t extend through the middle of the bulb. Garlic cloves come in a variety of shapes and sizes. With larger cloves clustered on the outer and smaller ones in the center, all within a single bulb.
White garlic bulbs are customarily braided together. This is because the stalk at the stem end of the garlic stays flexible or soft. It transports well and lasts a long time on shop shelves. White garlic is simple to cultivate and typically harder than other varieties. White garlic has a strong garlic flavor when it is fresh.
Purple Garlic Vs White Garlic – How each is grown and cultivated
For hundreds of years, garlic has been used as a flavoring element in practical applications. Our ancestors have consumed this vegetable just like we do. That garlic shrimp recipe that has followed down from generations in your family might just tell you that this vegetable or herb has been around for quite some time! So how is this amazing vegetable grown? Is white garlic grown in the same way as purple garlic? Lets explore!
In the majority of the countries, October is the optimum month to plant garlic. The scape, or long blooming stalk, of hardneck types finally sprouts small bulbils at its tip. The “head” or bulb of garlic is made up of a single row of cloves. These cloves are tightly coated in a papery sheath and buried around this central blooming stalk. Early in the growing season, hardneck garlic plants’ scapes should be removed. Since bulbil production might deplete the plant’s energy. Resulting in smaller garlic heads later on.
Softnecks(white garlic) are typically less hardy. This is why warmer climates are preferable for them.
Softneck garlic varieties are perfect for large manufacturing since they store well. Under optimum storage conditions, the heads will remain functional for nine to twelve months. Unlike hardnecks(purple garlic), which only feature a single row of cloves in each head. Softnecks have several cloves. The size of the cloves varies from huge to little.
Since they don’t produce a flowering stalk (scape), their stems remain pliable and supple, which makes them ideal for braiding garlic.
The Taste Difference
Purple garlic is occasionally sold in some supermarkets. But you’re more likely to find it at farmers’ markets and in specialized shops. Purple garlic is basically a white garlic hybrid with hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory qualities. Due to its exceptional quality, purple garlic has a strong demand on the global market. When utilizing purple garlic, it’s important to remember that cooking it will change the flavor. Than if you decide on consuming it raw. (Brave move!)
Garlic that is raw or fried has a stronger flavor than garlic that is roasted. Like with white garlic, purple garlic becomes a little bit sweeter when roasted. Hence, making it more tolerable to some people. However, a lot of people favor the powerful flavor of raw or fried garlic.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that white garlic and purple garlic share many of the same health advantages, they differ in their place of origin. They differ in their looks, and flavor. Garlic and purple garlic are distinguished primarily by the look of their outer skins. Which is white in color in garlic. Purple garlic, on the other hand, has a purple color. Additionally, compared to purple garlic, white garlic is far more portable and has a longer shelf-life than purple garlic.
Purple or white, we clove garlic! 🙂