Celebrating National Garlic Day with Folklore, Herbalism, and the Gilroy Garlic Festival

Today is National Garlic Day. It is observed every year on April 19th.

Garlic, or stinking rose, is a member of the lily family. Onions, leeks, and shallots are also in the family.

This time of year, wild garlic returns to the woodlands and riverbanks.

Wild garlic is also called bear's garlic. Folklore says that bears eat Wild Garlic after hibernation.

However, if cows graze on Wild Garlic, it will taint the milk with garlic flavor.

Finally, Wild Garlic is a favorite foraged seasonal ingredient of top chefs.

Garlic is not just a foundational ingredient for cooking - garlic is also used for medicinal purposes.

Garlic has antibiotic properties and helps reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. Herbalists recommend garlic as a remedy for colds.

Today, Gilroy, California, is known as the World's Garlic Capital.

The American cowboy and actor Will Rogers said this about Gilroy:

[It's] the only place in America where you can marinate a steak just by hanging it out on a clothesline.

Atlas Obscura wrote an article in 2019 about Gilroy. They featured Gilroy's unique recipes for garlic ice cream, saying,

The dessert divides ice-cream lovers.

Well, that is not hard to imagine.

An online reviewer mediated the matter with this comment,

Actually, the garlic ice cream is pretty good.

But a little does go a long way.

In case you're wondering, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is held every year in July.