The price of garlic is skyrocketing in the Indian market. In most homes, vegetables are not prepared without garlic. But do you know that there was a country in the world which used to give garlic as salary to its employees. Today we will tell you about that country and the reason behind it.
First cultivation of garlic
Garlic was first cultivated by the Sumerians on the Mediterranean coast 5,000 years ago. According to the information, it came from the eastern plains of the Caspian Sea. Garlic cultivation in India came thousands of years ago from Central Asia. According to history, garlic has been in use in India for 4500 years. In India, garlic seeds were found in Farmana in the Indus Valley during the Harappan period between 2600-2200 BC.
garlic as salary
Garlic was found in the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt in 1325 BC. Which was well preserved. Let us tell you that garlic has been used as a medicinal plant and food source for more than 7,000 years. Not only this, it was so popular among the workers and slaves who built the pyramids that the work was stopped due to lack of garlic. It is mentioned in history that it was also given as salary to the workers building pyramids in Egypt. Apart from this, athletes ranging from Greek Olympians to Roman gladiators under Nero are said to have consumed garlic to increase their stamina.
Let us tell you that the properties of garlic were known thousands of years ago. This is the reason why its cultivation had started in the fourth millennium BC. The oldest remains of garlic date back to 4000 BC (Middle Chalcolithic period) from a cave at Ein Gedi in Israel. It was considered a very precious thing in Egypt. Perhaps this is the reason why garlic was also preserved along with the mummies that were made in Egypt. Let us tell you that its earliest reference in historical documents comes from Avesta, which is a collection of Zoroastrian sacred writings compiled during the sixth century BC.
Most farming in China
Most of the garlic in the world is produced in China. Let us tell you that China produces 73.8 percent of the total garlic produced in the world and also sells it all over the world. India is at second place in its production with 10.4 percent, while Bangladesh is at third place with 1.7 percent. In the year 2021, China produced more than 20.45 million tonnes of green garlic. The special thing about Chinese garlic is that its cloves are four times thicker than Indian garlic.
Farming is done in these states of India
Garlic production in India has increased from 2.16 lakh tonnes to 8.34 lakh tonnes in the last 25 years. Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana are its main producing states in the country. But the reality is that compared to the amount of garlic consumed in the country, we produce less garlic. For this reason, it has become increasingly expensive in the market. More than 50 percent of its production takes place in the states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
medical use
Garlic has been used for traditional medicine in various cultures such as Egypt, Japan, China, Rome and Greece. Green garlic imparts garlic flavor and aroma to the food without spiciness. Green garlic is often chopped and fried in Southeast Asian (i.e. Vietnamese, Thai, Myanmar, Lao, Cambodian, Singaporean) and Chinese cookery. Apart from this, garlic is essential in Middle Eastern and Arabic cooking.
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