Garlic. Is it possible to even conceive of Italian cuisine without the pungent bulb? We've all experienced bad garlic, usually in the form of cloves that have been browned to death in oil and are ladled on top of the dishes at family-style Italian pasta mills. I swear those places much have a huge vat of this "garlic" prepped in advance daily. I'm all for banning that type of garlic, which would certainly never be found in the kitchen of a real Italian chef. Only the fresh stuff will do. Or will it?
I'm not holding my garlic breath with worry over the stinking rose vanishing from Italian menus, though. Italians ate 108 million pounds of garlic in 2006, up 4.3 percent from the previous year, according to farm group Coldiretti.
6-24-2007 @11:30AM Linds said... I find this article to be utterly offensive. I am disgusted!
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6-24-2007 @3:03PM lived there said... Yes it is possible to conceive of not having garlic in Italian food, my little provincial. The more economicaly sophistocated Italians in the northern part of Italy already use no(or very little) garlic in most of their dishes (and use more butter) while the poorer southern part uses garlic and less butter. Italian cuisine does not revolve around southern cuisine. You're making a mountain out of a mole hill.
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6-24-2007 @12:46PM John Romkey said... Does Berlusconi want to ban mirrors, too? If he's only seen at nght then I think it's clear what's going on...
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6-24-2007 @1:39PM Syd said... I leave the garlic out of most my dishes anyway. I like the idea.
John, your comment is freaking FUNNY.
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6-24-2007 @3:45PM Crabby McSlacker said... Call me unsophisticated, provincial, and low-class (and plenty already have, believe me) but I love garlic! Well, not in desserts, though some people will go that far. But to me, there are few dishes that aren't improved by the addition of tons of garlic and/or onion. (Plus both are incredibly good for you!)
(Crabby, when she's not harassing people at Slashfood, hosts her own weird little health blog. She believes garlic is key to making many vegetables taste less terrible:
http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/2007/06/crabby-admits-not-all-vegetables-taste.html
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6-24-2007 @5:06PM Kostika said... Italian food isn't about delicate flavours. Traditional Italian food (which is what most people know and is what is famous) is very earthy and strong flavours. Garlic is a strong flavour that compliments when used right.
Big named chef or not, the guys must be doing something wrong if he can't balance his garlic with the rest of his flavours.
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6-24-2007 @10:58PM bdw said... There is a North/South Italian divide. The south is poorer, and their food reflects this in terms of more pasta; also more of them emmigrated to America (the wealthier northerners didn't need to leave) and this has influenced our understanding of Italian food. Northern Italian food is influenced by France, Germany, Slovakia, and Croatia; Southern Italy is more influenced by Arabic food, as Sicily and Southern Italy were conquered by the Arabs for a couple of centuries back in the dark ages. Richer, more sophisticated food will tend to use less garlic. There are quite a few Italian-Americans where I live, including my wife, and I enjoy almost everything I have tried. Don't care for liver.
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6-25-2007 @12:36PM Martin Schloss said... I welcome the article and am happy to join the crusade against garlic. I am disgusted by garlic and find it utterly offensive.
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6-26-2007 @10:22AM Glo said... Boy ! Nothing like calling Italians who immigrated poor and having no taste. I wonder how the health of the Northern Italian v/S the Southern Italians , who eat the healthy Garlic stack up.
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6-25-2007 @2:51PM Danny Lee said... Nice move. Why don't they ban cheese? It smells quite strong too ;)
BTW Kostika is quite right about Italian kitchen.
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6-25-2007 @2:20PM Laura said... I love garlic. We're currently getting a ton of fresh green garlic and garlic scapes from our farm share... yum! I chop them up and put them on a pizza. My grandparents always serve me Italian American "peasant" food (like been soup with escarole, mmm) and it's a comfort to me.
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6-25-2007 @2:47PM Tim said... Isn't elimination going a bit far? Why not just make it an option on dishes that normally have it, and leave it out of dishes that don't need it? No need to completely ban it from a restaurant. Or is he so fanatic about it that he claims one course with garlic in it will ruin ones palette for the rest of the meal?
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6-26-2007 @10:51AM Chef Mojo said... They can have my garlic when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers...
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6-27-2007 @4:38AM Ralph Sherberg said... Any real cook would not eliminate anything from his kitchen unless he himself does not like it. Ok. I know a couple of good chefs who do not like capers. But garlic is something special. Without it things are half of what they could be... too much ruins any dish and not enough... there's something missing! Don't use a garlic press unless you want strong, pungent flavor. Rather mince the garlic and leave it exposed to the air for about 15 min. before using. (For me a difference between French and Italian kitchen is frying garlic.) Try the French method and add to the dish during cooking. Try a cote de agmeau with a sprig of fresh rosemary and a whole bulb of garlic with the pointed ends cut off. The aroma (nostly in the shell) and the oils released from the inner "char" will send you to heaven. To cook you have to have a certain au bout des doigts. To have a restaurant you don't necessairly have to be a good cook!
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6-27-2007 @4:16PM TLily said... Garlic in moderation is MUCH healthier than butter. I believe it's even considered a vitamin in some countries and is good for your lungs. There are Italian dishes I prepare that I can't imagine without garlic, like Turkey Cutlet Marsala, though this particular dish also contains butter. I like the idea of having a garlic or no-garlic menu.
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6-29-2007 @8:07AM Brett Ames said... I find Martin Schloss to be utterly offensive. Northern Italian food, with less or no garlic, is wonderful. Southern Italian food, with more garlic, is wonderful. Snobs are terrible, no matter where they are from.
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7-07-2007 @3:35PM MJ said... Im shocked........a true food lover would eat some parsely and get over it! Baked garlic is heavenly and sweet. That a good thing!
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8-20-2007 @4:36AM Gaz said... My wife is allergic to garlic and loves italian food. Which is very difficult to find chefs prepared to cook dishes without this 'precious' ingredient. i cook personally without garlic and my guests have never complained about my dishes tasting 'bland', in fact quite the opposite!
We love the idea of a choice of garlic menu!
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9-08-2007 @10:34PM Muenda Silko-Kenyatta said... http://vampcamp.blogspot.com/
My colleagues and I are certainly not garlic fans and on the basis of its taste and smell would have to say that we strongly support the campaign to have it banned from as many menus as possible.
Garlic does nothin to improve tastes but certainly does a lot to dissuade contact between people.On many occasions I myself have had reason to rethink my approach towards people on the basis of encountering the overpowering presence of garlic.
Just because something exists doesn't mean it has to be a part of our lives does it. Lets say goodbye to the awfully anti-social substance.
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