April 19, 2024 in the USA

Garlic bulbs and individual cloves
Copyright: creadorimatges, license: iStockphoto
National Garlic Day is observed on April 19, 2024. It celebrates the "stinking rose" and promotes the many uses of Garlic. Garlic is widely used around the world for its pungent flavor as a seasoning or condiment. Garlic cloves are used for consumption (raw or cooked) or for medicinal purposes. They have a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. Garlic is a fundamental component in many or most dishes of various regions.

Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating at least as far back as when the Giza pyramids were built. Garlic is claimed to help prevent heart disease and cancer. Animal studies, and some early research studies in humans, have suggested possible cardiovascular benefits of garlic.

Garlic is known for causing bad breath (halitosis), as well as causing sweat to have a pungent "garlicky" smell. Mouthwash or breath mints are not particularly effective, since the sulfurous compounds are absorbed into the bloodstream, and exit the body through the lungs and skin. Studies conducted at Ohio State University have shown that drinking milk can reduce "garlic breath".