Garlic has been used throughout history as a nourishing food and a magical medicine, healing everything from toothaches to dysentery. For much of this past century many dismissed its medicinal qualities as folk remedies more efficiently replaced by modern drugs — but today garlic is undergoing a renaissance. Not only are more people cooking with garlic, they are also growing it in their backyards. And scientists are studying garlic’s antibiotic, antifungal, and antiparasitic qualities, as well as its potential for cancer treatment. In Pursuit of Garlic tells Liz Primeau’s story of her love affair with the divinely odorous bulb and leads us on a tour of garlic’s role in history, art, medicine, and science. Primeau shares her favorite garlic-centered recipes, visits garlic fairs, discusses the many varieties of garlic — from Russian Red to German Brown to Kettle River Giant — and gives invaluable tips for growing your own.
