Myths And Superstitions Say Garlic Repels Vampires. What Other Evils Does It Repel?

Each year on April 19th, National Garlic Day celebrates a vegetable also known as the stinking rose. The fragrant and potent root has been seasoning dishes for thousands of years.

• 3000 BC – Upon reaching the Middle East, Indian traders introduce garlic to the Assyrian and Babylonian empires.
• 1325 BC – Well-preserved garlic cloves are present in the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
• 1660s – Medical books describe garlic as the best cure for smallpox.
• 1914 – Garlic is extensively used as a cure for dysentery and as an antiseptic during World War I.
• This stinking rose is a member of the lily family. This family also includes onions, leeks, and shallots. While garlic originated in Asia over 7,000 years ago, it is used in a variety of cuisines.
• Garlic is considered both a vegetable and an herb.
• Garlic is quite versatile, too. It is also used for medicinal purposes. The mighty bulb is considered an herbal remedy for colds and may reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. Modern science has also proven garlic’s antibiotic properties.
• Myth and superstition reek of garlic. The most familiar one suggests that garlic wards off vampires. This same theory seemed to work on witches, werewolves, demons and other such evils one could come across.
• Folklore also tells us garlic grew from satan’s left footprint when he left the Garden of Eden; Greek midwives kept evils spirits away with it, and courage filled Roman soldiers who consumed the bulb.
• Only 5% of Americans have avoided kissing someone because they had garlic breath — and that doubles for people who don’t love garlic.
• Even though Americans love garlic, only 10% use fresh garlic regularly — 15% prefer the pre-minced kind.
• To dream about garlic in the house suggests good luck and if the dream includes eating garlic (perhaps in a pesto sauce), there might be hidden secrets.
• Over 300 varieties of garlic grow around the world to dream about as well!
• Gilroy, California claims to be the Garlic Capital of the World. Will Rogers was once quoted as saying it is “…the only place in America where you can marinate a steak just by hanging it out on a clothesline.”
• The pungent flavor of garlic is caused by a chemical reaction that 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 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.
• The average person eats about 2 lbs of garlic each year.
• With the average clove weighing about 3 grams, 2 lbs of garlic are over 300 cloves.
• Garlic is a natural mosquito repellant
• If you’ve ever cut garlic, you’ve probably noticed the sticky residue the juice leaves on your hands. This actually works quite well as a bonding agent for small and delicate projects, like glass.
• Drinking lemon juice or eating a few slices of lemon will stop bad garlic breath.
• ‘Chicagaoua’ is a Native American word for a variant of wild garlic. It is this word from where the name Chicago has been derived!
• In the book ‘Dracula’ authored by Bram Stoker, garlic has been mentioned 21 times. In all works of Shakespeare taken together, garlic has been mentioned only 4 times!

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Mobile-Cuisine

Just Fun Facts

Basta Pasta MD

SC Garlic

Facts Legend

National Today