The internet is full of fabulous facts about everything from current events to the history basket weaving. As we research for our daily content on food trucks, food carts and street food, we stumble upon some items of knowledge that we just did not know.

We have decided when these fun facts pop up, that we would share them with our readers in our section titled “Did You Know?”

For today’s Did You Know we will look at Garlic fun facts.

Garlic Fun Facts: Garlic (Allium Sativum) is a member of the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), which also includes leeks, onions, and shallots. It is a perennial with an underground bulb (head) composed of pungent bulblets commonly called cloves.

The pungent flavor of garlic is caused by a chemical reaction which occurs when the garlic cells are broken. The flavor is most intense shortly after cutting or chopping. This chemical reaction cannot occur after garlic is cooked, which is why smoked garlic is sweet and nutty rather than pungent.

• Garlic was even once used to treat acne, warts, and toothaches.
• The psychological term for fear of garlic is alliumphobia.
• The smell of garlic can be removed by running your hands under cold water while rubbing a stainless steel object.
• The majority of garlic (90%) grown in the United States comes from California.
• If your rose garden is being attacked by aphids, an excellent home remedy to get rid of them is to spritz the leaves and blooms with a mixture of crushed garlic and water.

Garlic Fun Facts We May Have Missed

If so, please feel free to let us know about the garlic fun facts we missed. We always love to add to these lists. If we can verify that the facts is just that, a fact, we will give the reader credit in the article.

Reference: Fun Facts about Garlic

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