Black is the new white . . . for garlic lovers. The latest plaything among chefs in the US – it has recently popped up on both Top Chef and Iron Chef on TV – couldn’t be more different from the pale, creamy pink garlic from Lautrec in the south of France, but it’s proving to be just as modish.
Black garlic is normal white garlic that has gone through a month-long fermentation process, without preservatives or additives, that is said to double the bulbs’ antioxidant properties, and turns the cloves a deep black colour, with a soft, sticky texture. The taste is sweet, complex, with suggestions of molasses and liquorice. Although it is still undeniably garlicy, there’s none of the astringency that you get from fresh garlic. Top Manhattan fish restaurant Le Bernardin uses it in a dish of spiced monkfish, and on Food Network’s show, Iron Chef, it was teamed with red snapper.
Black garlic has its origins in Korea and Japan, where it is eaten as a super-food supplement, and the packet I ordered from www.blackgarlic.co.uk was produced in Jeju island, Korea. It costs £2.96 for a 36g pack (which held one large and one small bulb) and postage to Ireland was an additional £1.50. It also comes as a paste, juice, or peeled cloves, and is available to order from www.blackgarlic.co.uk, where you will also find lots of recipes to try.