Celebrate National Garlic Day Every April 19
It’s time for another yummy food related holiday. April 19 is National Garlic Day.
Garlic is an amazing addition to almost any meal. It’s tasty and healthy … Not to mention it keeps those pesky vampires away!
Ok, that last part might be myth (but do you really want to take the chance?).
Besides, it’s a low-calorie food. Just 4 calories in each clove. So can you really afford not to eat it?
The day has its own website, but we’re not sure who first came up with the idea of giving garlic its own day. But we definitely agree it deserves to be celebrated.
A Bite of Garlic Trivia
Garlic is related to onions, chives and shallots.
It has been nicknamed the “stinking rose” for it’s pungent smell. But despite that unflattering name, many cultures have admired the smelly bulb.
- Egyptians believed eating garlic increased stamina.
- In Europe in the Middle Ages people ate whole cloves of garlic to avoid the Black Death.
And there’s actually some truth to the above beliefs.
More recent scientific study suggests garlic has all kinds of positive benefits for the human body. These include:
- Lowering your risk of some cancers
- Keeping cholesterol low
- Keeping blood pressure under control
- Helping your immune system fight off colds and other infections
How does it do all this? Well, it seems to have some antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Plus it contains several different nutrients your body needs, like:
- Vitamins A and C
- Minerals, including magnesium, iron and calcium
- Amino acids
Some of the more questionable beliefs about garlic include these:
- It’s an aphrodisiac (so much for the advice to not eat garlic on a date!).
- It protects pregnant and engaged women from jealous nymphs.
Did you know some people are afraid of garlic? Yep, and this fear even has a name: alliumphobia. Who knew?!
But Americans (especially Californians) might want to overcome any fear they might have of garlic. This country is the number six producer of garlic in the world. And most of it comes from Gilroy, California.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this tasty if smelly day.
Ideas For Celebrating National Garlic Day
Individuals
Make plans to attend a Garlic Festival
We say “make plans” because most garlic festivals (at least the big ones) don’t seem to be in April. August and September seem to be the big Garlic Festival months.
For a list of the world’s top garlic festivals (yes, they’re held all over the world), check out this list from Reuter’s. It’s from 2010, and there’s no links to information about each one. But entering the name of the festival in your favorite search engine should turn up current information for most of them (at least it did for us).
The Garlic Day website also has a garlic festivals page. It links to some of the festivals from the Reuter’s list. And also has a list of other festivals in the U.S. and Canada. The list hasn’t been updated for a couple of years, but the links we checked do work. And the sites for each festival have current information.
Finally, you could try searching for “garlic festival” and your state to see if there’s anything near you.
Include garlic in all your meals
Assuming you’re not afraid of garlic, you’ll want to cook with it for this day. Of course, if you’re anything like us you cook with it most days. That’ll make this day really easy to celebrate!
Using fresh, whole garlic is better than buying pre-minced garlic. A garlic press can make it easier to use.
Make your favorite recipe with garlic, or try one (or more!) of these:
- Start your day with Tuscan Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, Red Onion, Garlic, Parmesan and Herbs
- For lunch, consider Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Garlic, Parsley and Lemon
- For dinner, this Pan-Crisp Salmon & Dijon Cream with Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs looks divine
- So does Garlic Chicken & Roasted Red Pepper Aioli Sauce.
- Garlicky wilted spinach, like this Cantonese Spinach with Garlic makes a great side dish for chicken or fish.
Don’t forget the garlic bread. For a super simple garlic bread, make this “You Like Cheese?” Garlic Bread Spread.
Don’t like the taste of garlic but still want the benefits? Consider a garlic supplement. We’re not sure it has quite as many benefits as fresh, but some benefits are better than none!
Businesses
Grocery stores can set up a display focused on garlic. Include fresh whole garlic cloves, jars of minced garlic, and garlic powder/granules. Consider highlighting a few recipes (give away recipe cards, even) and having the ingredients for those in the same display. Or do 2-3 small displays, each for a different recipe.
For restaurants, consider making your specials all garlicky dishes. Or at least include 2 or 3 garlicky dishes in your specials for the day. Let diners know it’s in honor of National Garlic Day.
How will you be celebrating this day? Do you have a favorite garlic-infused dish?
[…] National Garlic Day: Keep the vampires away & do your body good with garlic. But don’t stop at one day. Make garlic a regular part of your meals. […]
[…] National Garlic Day: Eat garlic all day long! Of course, if you’re like us you already do that pretty regularly, so this’ll be an easy day to celebrate. But you could certainly try some new garlicky recipes. Yum! 😊 […]