The Story of Garlic

True garlic is Allium sativum. Elephant garlic, which UC treats as a leek relative, is a different plant.

How it was found

Kew maps Allium sativum from Central Asia to northeastern Iran. The native list names Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and the species is introduced widely in Europe, North Africa, parts of Asia, and the Americas.

USDA-ARS geneticist Philipp Simon writes that true garlic grows wild today only in Central Asia, centered in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Earlier in history, wild garlic may have ranged from China to India to Egypt to Ukraine. People travelling through Central Asia collected wild garlic and carried it with them, and garlic came to be cultivated so that a supply for later years was assured.

Garlic is among the oldest known horticultural crops. Egyptian and Indian cultures referred to it 5,000 years ago, the Babylonians used it 4,500 years ago, and the Chinese 2,000 years ago; some writings suggest it was grown in China as far back as 4,000 years ago (USDA-ARS). UCCE Stanislaus adds that onions and garlic were two of the most important crops consumed in ancient Egypt.

How people used it

People eat the cloves. Kew lists food, and also animal food. UC ANR Publication 8568 treats garlic as a culinary bulb. UCCE Stanislaus puts garlic with onion as ancient Egyptian food crops and as flavorful seasoning for thousands of years.

California Agriculture (March–April 1988): about 80 percent of California garlic is produced for processing into dehydrated flakes, granules, or powders; this garlic is usually grown under contract with dehydrator companies.

Kew lists the species as a medicine, and GRIN lists folklore medicine uses with literature citations. UC Davis’s Agricultural Issues Center notes that garlic was historically used for medicinal purposes and is valued today more for its flavor.

Timeline

1. About 5,000 years ago

   Named in Egyptian and Indian writings

   Egyptian and Indian cultures referred to garlic 5,000 years ago, and there is clear historical evidence for its use by the Babylonians 4,500 years ago. UCCE Stanislaus County writes that onions and garlic were two of the most important crops consumed in ancient Egypt.

   USDA-ARS (Philipp Simon); UCCE Stanislaus — Alliums in Your Garden (2007)

2. About 4,000 years ago

   Grown in China

   Some writings suggest garlic was grown in China as far back as 4,000 years ago, and there is clear historical evidence of its use by the Chinese 2,000 years ago.

   USDA-ARS (Philipp Simon)

3. Within the last 1,000 years

   Hardneck and softneck noted in southern Europe

   Garlic that looks like a hardneck type was found in Egyptian tombs, but the hardneck–softneck distinction was routinely noted only after garlic was cultivated in southern Europe within the last 1,000 years.

   USDA-ARS (Philipp Simon)

4. 1753

   Named in Species Plantarum

   Kew accepts Allium sativum L., first published in Species Plantarum: 296 (1753). USDA GRIN gives the same 1753 citation.

   Kew POWO; USDA GRIN

5. 1700s

   Garlic reaches the United States

   Garlic was introduced into the United States in the 1700s, but its popularity did not begin to increase until the 1920s.

   UC Agricultural Issues Center — Commodity Profile: Garlic (2006)

6. 1950

   California Late, selected at Davis

   California Agriculture (May 1960), Louis K. Mann, UC Davis: in 1950, workers at Davis selected for experimental work a number of lines of California Late garlic from commercial fields.

   California Agriculture — Nematode-free Garlic Planting Stock (May 1960)

7. 1955

   Virtually all U.S. garlic

   California Agriculture (Ralph I. Crane): virtually all of the nation’s garlic, artichokes, and Brussels sprouts are grown in California. A 1955 production-share table in the same article lists garlic at 100 percent of U.S. production.

   California Agriculture — California Vegetable Industry (v.10 n.5)

8. Autumn 1960

   Nematode-free stock, Lassen ordinance

   California Agriculture (May 1960): after several years of selection, nematode-free planting stock became available for planting on clean land; Lassen County established an ordinance to prevent uninspected garlic from being planted in the county, and a state certification program for nematode-free planting stock had been established. The first planting stock for commercial production is expected to become available in the autumn of 1960.

   California Agriculture — Nematode-free Garlic Planting Stock (May 1960)

9. 1980s

   True garlic seed

   As far as is known, cultivated garlic was propagated throughout history only from cloves, bulbs, and bulbils. Production of true garlic seed in cultivated garlic began in the 1980s, opening the way to breeding new varieties.

   USDA-ARS (Philipp Simon)

10. Present (California, as of 2016)

    Most U.S. garlic is Californian

    UC ANR Publication 8568 reports that California produces over 90 percent of the garlic grown commercially in the United States. The major commercial varieties named there are California Early and California Late.

    UC ANR Publication 8568

Cool to know

Growing notes for this plant live on the Plant Wiki.