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| Healthy addition: in 1979, the M&S chicken kiev started Britain’s obsession with ready meals. It was one of the most successful supermarket launches of all time Photo: Alamy |
8:29PM BST 07 Aug 2013
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Comments Can it be long before garlic is prescribed on the NHS? This week, another study extolling the wonder effects of this simple bulb was published, this time suggesting that, eaten raw, it could nearly halve the risk of lung cancer.
The study, conducted in China, follows a long line of scientific papers that
have indicated garlic can prevent the common cold, reduce high blood pressure,
lower cholesterol, kill off E. coli and more or less raise the dead from their
graves.
If we believe the latest evidence – and some doctors are less than convinced
that garlic really does possess magical powers – there remains one key question,
which does not seem to bother the men in white coats: how do you consume the
pungent herb on a regular basis without alienating your loved ones and work
colleagues due to your breath smelling like a Bologna bordello?
It was not that long ago that many in this country viewed garlic – cooked or
raw – with deep suspicion, an ingredient that summed up all the worst aspects of
Johnny Foreigner. The first generation of holidaymakers to Benidorm in the 1950s
and 1960s were known to take over the kitchens of their Spanish hotels in order
to cook shepherd’s pie and rice pudding, so appalled were they with everything
“swimming in garlic”. When Sir Terence Conran started selling garlic-crushers in
Habitat in the late 1960s, to cater for the disciples of the Mediterranean
cookery writer Elizabeth David (whose signature recipe was chicken with 40
cloves of garlic), he claimed he was the first to do so in Britain: “You
couldn’t buy garlic, so there was no point in a garlic press,” he said.
And when Cathy Chapman, a young Marks & Spencer executive, hit upon the idea of selling an oven-ready chicken kiev back in 1979, she was nearly thwarted by the board director in charge of food. “When he tasted it, he said: 'It’s got garlic in it. I don’t like garlic, people don’t like garlic.’ He said it shouldn’t be put on the shelves.” She argued that all the packaging had been printed and it was too late to back out. It turned out to be one of the most successful supermarket launches of all time, thought to be responsible for starting Britain’s obsession with ready meals.
And when Cathy Chapman, a young Marks & Spencer executive, hit upon the idea of selling an oven-ready chicken kiev back in 1979, she was nearly thwarted by the board director in charge of food. “When he tasted it, he said: 'It’s got garlic in it. I don’t like garlic, people don’t like garlic.’ He said it shouldn’t be put on the shelves.” She argued that all the packaging had been printed and it was too late to back out. It turned out to be one of the most successful supermarket launches of all time, thought to be responsible for starting Britain’s obsession with ready meals.
But to enjoy garlic’s health benefits, most medical studies insist it should
be consumed raw. This week’s Jiangsu study, which suggested that those who
consume garlic twice a week are 44 per cent less likely to suffer from lung
cancer, refers only to the herb in its most pungent state.
The plant contains allicin, an antibiotic and anti-fungal compound that
protects it against pests and is believed to be the source of the health
benefits. It is released when a garlic clove – or, indeed, entire head – is
crushed or chopped. The allicin is more or less destroyed when cooked or pickled
in vinegar.
José Pizarro, the owner of a brace of Spanish restaurants in London, says it
is time for us to throw off our inhibitions and embrace the pure, strong,
tongue-tingling flavour of allium sativum straight from the bulb. “For me, I
always use it raw in dressings, chopped up over dishes. I love it, I love the
aroma. Maybe you can’t go to a meeting afterwards, but maybe you should just
stop worrying.”
His favourite simple dish for consuming raw garlic is bruschetta: crush at
least one clove with the blade of a knife and spread it on piece of crusty,
toasted bread, pile on chopped-up raw tomatoes, and drizzle with generous
amounts of olive oil and salt. “It’s just fabulous,” he insists.
Some culinary experts believe that mixing the raw garlic with any form of fat
– be it olive oil or mayonnaise – helps strip away the most caustic edges of the
flavour. This explains, in part, why raw garlic in guacamole, mixed with the
fatty avocados, never tastes as strong as if you had popped it straight in your
mouth.
Natasha Edwards, author of Garlic: the Mighty Bulb, grew up on a garlic farm
on the Isle of Wight. She says it is possible to consume large quantities of raw
garlic even if you are not a fan of the flavour. “There are plenty of really
good recipes that incorporate raw garlic, not least gazpacho. But you can crush
it and spread it on toast with Marmite. That really is quite delicious. Another
thing you can do is slice it very thinly and place it between two pieces of
apple – that seems to disguise the flavour.”
But she admits there are few foolproof ways of ensuring your breath is not
tainted. “Afterwards, you can chew on mint, parsley or a raw coffee bean, but
none of these will completely do the trick. And as anyone who has consumed a lot
of garlic knows, it goes right into your system and seeps out through your
pores, not just your breath.”
However, there is a theory that as consumption of garlic in Britain has
risen, so we have noticed the smell less. “I think we have become more
accustomed to it. You certainly hear fewer complaints about it,” says Edwards.
The evidence is unclear whether supplements or powder are as effective as the
raw bulb, but most agree cooked garlic does not do the trick. Nikki Page, author
of The Little Book of Wellbeing, says: “It’s just wonderful stuff. It is an
extremely healthy food and has plenty of good properties – it is full of vitamin
C – and contains nothing that could cause any harm, except possibly to your love
life.”
Last March, an investigation by the Cochrane Database, the global research
organisation, found that increasing your garlic intake during winter can cut the
duration of cold symptoms — from five-and-a-half days to four-and-a-half.
Garlic tablets are licensed as a drug in Germany and widely prescribed to
combat atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries that can lead to heart
attacks and strokes. The World Health Organisation’s guidelines for general
health promotion for adults is a daily dose of 2g to 5g of fresh garlic
(approximately one clove).
However, many of the medical studies are inconclusive, especially when it
comes to garlic’s supposed role in helping reduce the risk of cancer – be it
bowel or, in this week’s study, lung cancer. Dr James LeFanu, the Telegraph’s
medical writer, says: “One tends to be pretty under impressed by these claims.”
Alison Hornby, a dietitian and spokeswoman for the British Dietetic
Association, wrote in an official guide to garlic for the NHS: “Studies using
high concentrations of garlic extracts have been associated with improved blood
circulation, healthier cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure, all of which
reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, current evidence does not
support the use of garlic supplements to improve health.”
This may be a disappointment for those who believe a clove a day will keep
the doctor away. But it will not deter those consumers who see chicken kiev as
no more exotic than fish fingers, and who could not survive without the joyful
burst of Mediterranean flavour that garlic brings to their diet.
More garlic tea, vicar? Three raw recipes
CLASSIC PESTO
This classic pesto recipe and variation offer a simple yet delicious way of
introducing more garlic into your diet. Vary the quantities to suit your taste.
The sauce can be stirred into freshly cooked pasta, added to sandwiches or
bruschetta, mixed into bean salads, spread over roast meats or used as stuffing
for chicken breasts.
30g pine nuts
Large bunch of fresh basil leaves
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
6 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of ¼ lemon
30g Parmesan, grated
Sea salt to taste
- Lightly toast the pine nuts in a frying pan until they are pale golden
brown.
- Put the toasted pine nuts and remaining ingredients, except the Parmesan,
in a food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is reached – I
prefer pesto to have texture.
- Stir in the grated Parmesan and add salt to taste.
AIOLI
This extremely versatile garlic mayonnaise is originally from the Provence
region in the south of France, which helps explain the origin of the name. Ai is
the Provençal word for garlic and oli is from the Latin oleum, meaning oil. It
works equally well served as a dip with steamed vegetables or as a sauce to
accompany fish or meat.
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 free-range egg yolks
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
300ml olive oil
Juice of ¼ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Using a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic with a pinch of salt to form a
paste.
- In a bowl, whisk the garlic, egg yolks and mustard until well combined.
- Add the olive oil in a steady stream and whisk until all the oil is
absorbed and the mixture has thickened.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste. If you’d like to use the
aïoli as a sauce, whisk in a few drops of warm water to make it runnier.
GARLIC TEA
Pour 250ml boiling water over 4 large chopped garlic cloves and allow them to
infuse for a few minutes. Stir in the juice of ½ lemon, 1 tablespoon apple cider
vinegar, and honey to taste, then pour into a mug and sip the hot mixture. For
maximum benefits, I’d recommend scooping out the chopped cloves from the bottom
of the mug and eating those too. Don’t worry – they’ll be much milder than raw
garlic.
Recipes taken from 'Garlic: The Mighty Bulb’ by
Natasha Edwards (Kyle Books, £14.99), available from Telegraph Books for £12.99
+ £1.35 p&p. To order, call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk
