Why does my garlic have no smell nor taste?

[Vespasian]

On a recent rainy evening, a big plate of spaghetti aglio e olio sounded tempting. I had good Tuscan olive oil, imported pasta, and a fresh head of garlic. But as I sliced the garlic, I noticed a complete lack of that welcome garlic aroma, even close-up. I tasted a slice, then another: nothing. I might as well have been chewing styrofoam. I cooked it up anyway, and neither aroma nor taste were released in the hot oil.

My first thought was that I am growing old, that my senses are in decline. But that's not so: I love onions, and I can taste them just fine. I made a shrimp dish that used sliced shallots a few days later, and the familiar smell was there, as was the nice "bite" when I took a taste.

Back at the market, the produce guy told me that the garlic was imported from China.

This is insanity. I write from California, home of Gilroy, self-proclaimed garlic capital of the world, long-time home to a yearly garlic festival. And we import tasteless garlic from China?

I will try the farmers market next, or maybe an Asian market, when I can. (Mobility challenged.) I'll report back the results.

Meanwhile, has anyone else noticed this disturbing trend in their garlic cookery?

 

[Dogrescuer]

I haven't sorry but thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Jenks]

Chinese garlic is tasteless. I never buy it.

 

[Old Hippie]

There are some good garlic farms in SW Interior BC. One in Westwold tends toward mainly hardneck varieties. That's great for me because I really like super hot hardneck garlics. I have been known to buy the Chinese garlic if there's nothing else on offer, but it's never the same.

Having seen the conditions in which Chinese garlic is grown (around Daxing, anyway) I can imagine that sometimes it's going to have more flavour than others.

O.H.

 

[luvmysuper]

Chinese garlic is a national security risk, says US senator

Rick Scott says Chinese garlic grown in sewage is unsafe and poses a threat to national security.

www.bbc.com

Though the University cited states they don't, the white paper below says 85% of human feces is used as fertilizer in China.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311913604074

I can say categorically that in the years I lived in China, I witnessed it first hand.

I can't speak to the viability or relative safety of doing so, but it is what it is.
As much concerning to me is the post processing (bleaching) to make it more appealing to US consumers.

I suppose that the low cost product dumped into our market does not have a beneficial effect on local growers.

 

[Dogrescuer]

super hot hardneck garlics

Where can I get some?

 

[House Boy]

I once had garlic from france, it was terrific.

 

[abies]

We almost always buy garlic local from the farmer's market, but no I haven't noticed this in general.

However, I have had some weird but somewhat similar experiences over the years, like pine mouth, that eventually have gotten attention with an explanation, so maybe this is something similar that will get attention and figured out.

 

[Old Hippie]

Where can I get some?

Might be a bit of a drive for you, and you'll need a passport, but the Kamloops Farmer's Market usually has some during market season. The local store of Nature's Fare (which I call the "Old Hippie Lifestyle Booteek and Natcherl Foodz Store") also carries it mostly year round. Overwaitea (SaveOn) here tends toward the Chinese stuff as do the other major chains.

There are probably some suppliers of growing stock near you. Garlic's an easy crop. Plant it in the fall, overwinter it, harvest the following fall. One also gets the benefit of being able to harvest the scapes in the summer; excellent turned into garlic-scape pesto with lots of fresh basil (another easy crop).

O.H.

 

[Buster]

On a recent rainy evening, a big plate of spaghetti aglio e olio sounded tempting. I had good Tuscan olive oil, imported pasta, and a fresh head of garlic. But as I sliced the garlic, I noticed a complete lack of that welcome garlic aroma, even close-up. I tasted a slice, then another: nothing. I might as well have been chewing styrofoam. I cooked it up anyway, and neither aroma nor taste were released in the hot oil.

My first thought was that I am growing old, that my senses are in decline. But that's not so: I love onions, and I can taste them just fine. I made a shrimp dish that used sliced shallots a few days later, and the familiar smell was there, as was the nice "bite" when I took a taste.

Back at the market, the produce guy told me that the garlic was imported from China.

This is insanity. I write from California, home of Gilroy, self-proclaimed garlic capital of the world, long-time home to a yearly garlic festival. And we import tasteless garlic from China?

I will try the farmers market next, or maybe an Asian market, when I can. (Mobility challenged.) I'll report back the results.

Meanwhile, has anyone else noticed this disturbing trend in their garlic cookery?

I’ve never experienced this but I live a little north of Gilroy. In my twenties I live in Gilroy just past the Christopher Ranch garlic processing plant On highway 152. A friend visited and said,” You could marinate a steak by hanging it on the clothesline here.” Not sure if you’re local but did you hear the Garlic store on highway 101 is closing?

 

[VerbaVolant]

There are some good garlic farms in SW Interior BC. One in Westwold tends toward mainly hardneck varieties...

Thanks for heads up. I drive through Westwold quite often but never stopped to shop around.

 

[bonjing]

I’ve never experienced this but I live a little north of Gilroy. In my twenties I live in Gilroy just past the Christopher Ranch garlic processing plant On highway 152. A friend visited and said,” You could marinate a steak by hanging it on the clothesline here.” Not sure if you’re local but did you hear the Garlic store on highway 101 is closing?

I thought they were moving? That was the only spot I could drive down and get some garlic ice cream.

 

[Frito Ray]

I’ve been growing my own for a number of years now for that exact reason (i.e. taste).

Probably one of the easiest thing to grow…the house does smell a bit when you dry them out though.

 

[DesertIguana]

Garlic in prime condition smells and taste good.

Having driven into and out of Gilroy, CA during garlic harvest seasons you smell garlic.

Having done Gilroy Garlic Festival you smell garlic everywhere.

If garlic is deal, old, or dried out it don’t smell, and should not be used.

Think someone got DEAD GARLIC.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

Strange coming across this thread? I have been noticing lately that garlic seems to be lacking that garlic smell that garlic is known for.

Made some chili earlier today. Put in several good size cloves into the pot with the onions and green pepper. Hardly any smell at all?

 

[Scarry Knight]

On a recent rainy evening, a big plate of spaghetti aglio e olio sounded tempting. I had good Tuscan olive oil, imported pasta, and a fresh head of garlic. But as I sliced the garlic, I noticed a complete lack of that welcome garlic aroma, even close-up. I tasted a slice, then another: nothing. I might as well have been chewing styrofoam. I cooked it up anyway, and neither aroma nor taste were released in the hot oil.

My first thought was that I am growing old, that my senses are in decline. But that's not so: I love onions, and I can taste them just fine. I made a shrimp dish that used sliced shallots a few days later, and the familiar smell was there, as was the nice "bite" when I took a taste.

Back at the market, the produce guy told me that the garlic was imported from China.

This is insanity. I write from California, home of Gilroy, self-proclaimed garlic capital of the world, long-time home to a yearly garlic festival. And we import tasteless garlic from China?

I will try the farmers market next, or maybe an Asian market, when I can. (Mobility challenged.) I'll report back the results.

Meanwhile, has anyone else noticed this disturbing trend in their garlic cookery?

I've grown and eaten mostly my own garlic for the last four or five years. We may have purchased once or twice in that time.

I'd had it with store bought that was rubbery and sprouting by the time I got to it.

Turns out it's about the only thing I can grow that the rabbits and squirrels won't decimate. I plant a patch of about 120 in the fall here. They've emerged and been eaten to the soil, but they'll be ok when they take off again in spring.

 

[ChriWilson]

Dang, I mean even the jarred minced garlic has aroma and flavor - though the ones we've bought originate from Gilroy...
Typically, we buy Local Grown through our local produce market

 

[Mojo88]

On a recent rainy evening, a big plate of spaghetti aglio e olio sounded tempting. I had good Tuscan olive oil, imported pasta, and a fresh head of garlic. But as I sliced the garlic, I noticed a complete lack of that welcome garlic aroma, even close-up. I tasted a slice, then another: nothing. I might as well have been chewing styrofoam. I cooked it up anyway, and neither aroma nor taste were released in the hot oil.

My first thought was that I am growing old, that my senses are in decline. But that's not so: I love onions, and I can taste them just fine. I made a shrimp dish that used sliced shallots a few days later, and the familiar smell was there, as was the nice "bite" when I took a taste.

Back at the market, the produce guy told me that the garlic was imported from China.

This is insanity. I write from California, home of Gilroy, self-proclaimed garlic capital of the world, long-time home to a yearly garlic festival. And we import tasteless garlic from China?

I will try the farmers market next, or maybe an Asian market, when I can. (Mobility challenged.) I'll report back the results.

Meanwhile, has anyone else noticed this disturbing trend in their garlic cookery?

It has a cold? Sorry I couldn’t help myself, it was too easy.

 

[DrStrange]

On a recent rainy evening, a big plate of spaghetti aglio e olio sounded tempting. I had good Tuscan olive oil, imported pasta, and a fresh head of garlic. But as I sliced the garlic, I noticed a complete lack of that welcome garlic aroma, even close-up. I tasted a slice, then another: nothing. I might as well have been chewing styrofoam. I cooked it up anyway, and neither aroma nor taste were released in the hot oil.

My first thought was that I am growing old, that my senses are in decline. But that's not so: I love onions, and I can taste them just fine. I made a shrimp dish that used sliced shallots a few days later, and the familiar smell was there, as was the nice "bite" when I took a taste.

Back at the market, the produce guy told me that the garlic was imported from China.

This is insanity. I write from California, home of Gilroy, self-proclaimed garlic capital of the world, long-time home to a yearly garlic festival. And we import tasteless garlic from China?

I will try the farmers market next, or maybe an Asian market, when I can. (Mobility challenged.) I'll report back the results.

Meanwhile, has anyone else noticed this disturbing trend in their garlic cookery?

Yes, I have noticed.

I used to grow Carpathian, Bzenec, and Arcuri red.
Lately, cheap Chinese garlic has been getting blander.

Even though garlic powder isn't as good as really good garlic,
it's the simplest way to get the amount of flavor that I want.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

Dang, I mean even the jarred minced garlic has aroma and flavor...

A little tricky that restaurants use is to combine jar minced garlic together with garlic powder.

Say a restaurant is serving garlic bread, basically tasted bread with garlic butter on it.

Garlic from a jar is not the same as peeled fresh garlic in flavor and aroma. Peeling fresh garlic in quantity is labor intensive.

By adding garlic powder to the jar garlic, both the flavor and aroma is intensified. They add both to the melted butter and let it cook to dissolve the granulated garlic in the butter and blend together.

When you look at the garlic toast, you can see the bits of garlic in the garlic butter.