Happy National Garlic Month!
While we celebrate garlic and its role in Italian cuisine every day of the year, we like to take an extra-special moment to celebrate garlic during April, or, National Garlic Month. Aside from adding a delightful flavor to our treasured Italian cuisine recipes, garlic offers a whole host of health benefits. Here are five flavorful facts about garlic to celebrate this momentous month.
The Largest Garlic Producer
Believe it or not, the largest garlic producer in the world is China! Since it is native to central Asia and is also popular in African and French cuisines, it is a very popular crop. China grows an amazing 2/3 of the total garlic in the world—about 46 billion pounds every year.
Average Consumption
While many visits to Basta Pasta to enjoy Italian cuisine might raise this number a little bit, the average consumption of garlic every year is about 2 pounds per person. While two pounds doesn’t seem like much, two pounds of garlic is a whopping 302 cloves.
Various Health Benefits
Garlic offers many different health benefits to those who love it. Garlic cloves contain thio-sulfinite compounds that transform into allicin, an antibiotic and antifungal agent. This agent is believed to reduce bad cholesterol in your blood by preventing it from growing in liver cells.
Vitamins, Galore!
Beyond delicious taste, garlic also provides you with tons of good-for-you vitamins and minerals. Every bulb of garlic is full of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium zinc, selenium, beta carotene, zea-xanthin, and even vitamin C. Who needs to take their vitamins when you have garlic?
Interesting Facts
Last but not least, you can use garlic to make glue. The sticky juice that appears whenever you squeeze or crush a clove is so sticky that it can be used as an adhesive. Crush the cloves and use the sticky glue left behind for any delicate projects you have around the house.
Enjoy Authentic Italian Cuisine at Basta Pasta
For over 12 years, Basta Pasta has been providing Marylanders with delicious Italian specials cooked from fresh, delicious, high-quality ingredients. Enjoy a taste of classic Italian food with spectacular pasta dishes, unlimited salad and breadsticks, and sumptuous fine Italian wines. To make a reservation at our Timonium location, contact us online or give us a call at (410) 308-0838. To make a reservation at our Fallston location, contact us online or give us a call at (410) 692-5200. To find out more about our menu, follow us on Facebook and Twitter!