Garlic
Garlic is one of the most widely used culinary and medicinal crops in the world. Belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family, it is a close relative of onion, leek, and shallot. The edible part is the bulb, composed of multiple cloves covered with thin papery skin.
Fresh garlic bulbs are white to off-white, firm, and aromatic, with a sharp pungent flavor when raw that mellows into a sweet, nutty taste when cooked. Garlic is available in several forms – fresh bulbs, dried garlic, garlic flakes, garlic powder, garlic paste, and garlic oil – making it highly versatile.
It is cultivated extensively in China, India, South Korea, Egypt, Spain, and the USA, with China being the largest producer.
Garlic is valued not only as a flavoring agent in global cuisines but also for its therapeutic properties, as it is rich in sulfur compounds (allicin), antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It plays an important role in traditional medicine and modern nutraceuticals due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and heart-protective properties.

