Those of us in the food industry have a love/love relationship with Allium Sativum, commonly known as garlic. It is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. We can trace the use of garlic back to central Asia and the Mediterranean in ancient times. It is thought to be a descendent of the species Allium longicuspis, which grows wild in southwestern Asia. In garlic cultivation, it is almost all done asexually, by planting individual cloves in the ground.  These plants are said to repel rabbits and moles so you better believe we planted some in our outside pasta shop garden. Although garlic is grown globally, China is by far the largest producer, accounting for more than 77 percent of world output. The United States is sixth in the world, with production centered in Gilroy, Calif., which calls itself the “garlic capital of the world.” I have visited Gilroy several times over the years and have tasted many food products infused with garlic. I can tell you there are a few products that are better left without the addition of garlic — chocolate, ice cream and wine!

Most people think all garlic is the same. Not true. The garlic of Italy is different from that grown in Spain which is different from France’s and is different from the United States’. What mainly determines the difference in flavor are the nutrients in the ground. The more sulfurous the soil is, the stronger the garlic, and thus the heavier on your breath. The garlic we find in the supermarkets has been dried, which is why it is available year-round. Elephant garlic is not true garlic, but instead a wild leek.

Garlic, like a few of its relatives, onions, shallots and leeks, are mild mannered until we cut into them. We all know from experience in the kitchen what can happen — the tears cannot be halted. So why do we cry when we cut into garlic or an onion?

Garlic — its tissue contains an odorless precursor, derived from the common sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine. Under normal conditions cysteine is a stable compound. However, it is quite unstable when disrupted, so when we cut into the vegetable (garlic, onion, etc.) we disrupt the tissue’s cells. This compound eventually converts into molecules of ammonia and pyruvic acid. This then breaks down into diallyl disulfide, the powerful constituent of garlic odor. Because the essential oils in garlic permeate the lung tissue after consumption, it remains with the body long after it has been ingested, affecting both breath and skin odor. It has been reported that eating fresh parsley or a whole coffee bean neutralizes residual garlic odor; however, unfortunately, modern-day science has yet to find the perfect antidote.

Shallots, leeks and onions — all follow the same general pattern except they form different compounds. Lachrymator is the substance in onions that makes us cry and is the result of rearranging enzymes when the vegetable is cut. The lachrymator irritates the eyes by dissolving in their fluids and forming sulfuric acid. It does, however, decompose rapidly, but unfortunately for the cook, explodes during the intimate phase of their relationship:  dicing, slicing and chopping.

Garlic in its raw form is highly nutritious. Per 3.5 ounces it contains 6.39 g of Protein, 2.1 g Dietary Fiber, 1.4 mg  Vitamin B6, 32 mg Vitamin C, 181 mg Calcium and many other minerals including but not limited to Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Selenium  and Folate.

Garlic blesses and ennobles everything it touches and at Cindy Lutini’s, we couldn’t imagine life in the kitchen without it. We use it raw and fresh in dressings, sautéed in sauces, whole when we braise meats and roasted to spread on ciabatta. We have found that crushing it breaks down the membranes of the cells and releases all the flavor and aroma more powerfully than chopping, and therefore use this technique in our homemade pesto.

So stop by the pasta shop for some garlic-infused cuisine. We will be happy to supply a sprig of parsley or dark roast coffee bean to keep that odiferous aroma at bay!

— Cindy Shultz is the owner and chef at Cindy Lutini’s Pasta for Life. She holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.A. from John Carroll University.