How to make a perfect Laba garlic?

"Little kids, don't be greedy, after Laba, it's New Year..." After a bowl of hot Laba porridge, pick up a bag of heavy garlic heads - peel, put into a can, pour vinegar, seal... Then just wait for the plump white garlic cloves to turn into green jade. As the garlic cloves change little by little, the New Year is coming. When it's time to eat dumplings during the Spring Festival, take a bite of dumplings and a bite of garlic, and then reminisce the spicy garlic in the vinegar, and the sourness of the garlic in the vinegar ~ just thinking about it, the taste buds are greatly satisfied.

Laba garlic is a special delicacy of Laba Festival, with a unique taste and color. According to the old custom, Laba garlic should be soaked on Laba Day, and eaten with colorful dumplings on the fifth day of the New Year. Laba garlic soaked in vinegar will change its original white color and become emerald green, and its garlic fragrance will be better than before, with a unique flavor. People are curious about it, why does garlic turn green after pickling, what are the benefits of eating Laba garlic for the body...During Laba Festival, let's learn about it together.

01 The mystery of Laba garlic turning green

We all know that whether the pickled Laba garlic turns green is an important basis for judging the pickling effect. However, most people only know that garlic will turn green but do not understand the scientific principle. In fact, this is related to the sulfide in garlic.
In order to activate the dormant alliinase in garlic, Laba garlic is usually pickled in a low temperature and acidic environment. The activated alliinase catalyzes the biochemical reaction of garlic cells. After being soaked in vinegar, the garlic in the acidic environment undergoes a series of pigment reactions: there are more sulfur-containing bioactive substances in garlic cells. These sulfides can generate thiosulfinate, acrylthiosulfinate, allylthiosulfinate and other substances under the action of alliinase, and then they will undergo a series of reactions to generate garlic pigment.

Usually, the first pigment formed is blue pigment (also called allicin), which is unstable and will gradually transform into yellow pigment (also called allicin). In the early stage, there is more blue pigment, and as the chemical reaction changes, blue pigment and yellow pigment will coexist. Under the superposition of the two pigments, garlic will appear green.

02 How to pickle Laba garlic?

The reason why Laba garlic turns green is because the sulfide in it reacts. So how should we correctly pickle Laba garlic? From the necessary conditions for the change of sulfide, we can know that pickling Laba garlic requires two conditions. One is to use garlic that has been stored at low temperatures. Low temperature can activate the dormant alliinase in garlic and catalyze the garlic to turn green. This is why we have to pickle Laba garlic in winter. At this time, the garlic has already experienced severe cold, and the alliinase has also awakened from its slumber. Another indispensable condition is to have vinegar to put the garlic in an acidic environment. The vinegar used to pickle Laba garlic can increase the permeability of the cell membrane, so that the garlic turns green without damaging the cell wall.

When pickling Laba garlic, first peel the garlic that has been stored at low temperatures, wash it, dry it, and then put it in a clean container and pour vinegar to cover the garlic. Then seal the container and place it in an environment below 10°C until the garlic turns completely green. For better results, it is best to use lighter rice vinegar, which will make the color brighter. Adding appropriate rock sugar or white sugar during pickling can also neutralize the spiciness of garlic and the acidity of vinegar, enriching the taste.

03 Laba garlic cannot cure all diseases

The taste of Laba garlic is unforgettable, and there are many rumors that it can fight cancer, soften blood vessels, and prevent influenza. In fact, Laba garlic is not so "cure-all". At present, there is no credible scientific evidence to prove that eating Laba garlic can prevent cancer and soften blood vessels.

Although garlic does have functional ingredients and antioxidant properties, it does not mean that it really has various health benefits for people. For example, after the acetic acid in Laba garlic enters the human body, a large part of it is neutralized by alkaline digestive juices in the small intestine, and a small part is cleared by the liver. Therefore, very little acetic acid can be absorbed into the blood, so how can it soften blood vessels and prevent cardiovascular diseases?

Eating Laba garlic cannot prevent and treat influenza. Laba garlic has a certain antibacterial effect, but it does not have the ability to kill influenza viruses. In various medical studies on the effects of garlic, it was found that only large amounts of garlic can play a role, and small amounts of garlic do not seem to have a very obvious effect. At the same time, some cell experiments and animal experiments have also found that garlic has certain benefits for some gastrointestinal diseases, such as Helicobacter pylori and gastrointestinal cancer. However, it has not been found to have a good effect in human studies, so there is no basis for people to believe that Laba garlic can treat or prevent gastrointestinal diseases.

04 How to eat Laba garlic?

Compared with raw garlic, the advantages of Laba garlic are obvious: first, it tastes better and softer, and second, it is less irritating to the gastrointestinal mucosa. Eating one or two cloves when eating meat can also help digestion. Although Laba garlic tastes better and is less irritating, we still need to remind everyone to eat Laba garlic in small amounts (to avoid excessive irritation to the body). It is recommended to eat 2-3 cloves each time.

As a traditional delicacy in my country, Laba garlic is an indispensable element of the Laba Festival. Now that you know how to make Laba garlic, you might as well try making it once, experience the process of garlic turning from white to green, and taste the Laba garlic full of winter flavor.

Author: Cheng Fangjie

Scientific review: Shen Yingjian, deputy chief physician of the Nutrition Department of Hebei Yanda Hospital