GARLIC, LEEKS, SHALLOTS, AND THE OTHER EATABLE ALLIUMS
A Whole Bunch More Oniony Things, Who They are, Growing, and Eating
A sequel to last week’s “ONIONS & SOME KIN, IN BRIEF.” Check that article first, especially if you want to understand the confusion in the word “scallions.”
Chefs and home cooks love the Alliums — the onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, and so many others. I discussed regular onions last week, so I now present garlic, leeks, shallots, and some of those many others. "Allium" is the genus part of the botanical name of each of these, it’s the specific epithet (the second part) that differs.
All of them have near identical nutritional value. They all contain matching antioxidants, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory effects (and the subsequent anti-aging results), and one thing I didn’t mention last week: the Alliums are particularly rich in soluble fibers called fructans, which help promote healthy gut bacteria. These fructans are the primary reason members of this vegetable family are so potent at supporting a healthy gut microbiome. [CAUTIONARY NOTE: Some of the most popular Alliums — garlic, leeks, shallots, and onions — are very high in fructans, which can, in those prone to it, trigger IBS symptoms.
For the gardener and the cook, herein are the rest of the Allium crowd…
GARLIC (Allium sativum)
Although the garlic plant’s bulb is the most commonly used part of the plant, other parts of the garlic plant are also edible. The leaves and flowers are sometimes eaten. They are milder in flavor than the bulbs and are most often consumed while immature and still tender. Immature garlic is sometimes pulled, rather like a scallion, and sold as "green garlic.”
Everyone knows garlic’s pungent, almost spicy flavor and good cooks know that said pungency mellows and sweetens considerably with proper cooking. The essence of garlic’s taste is mainly due to organosulfur compounds such as allicin, present in fresh garlic cloves, which breaks down into ajoene which forms when the garlic is crushed or chopped. Ajoene originates with “ajo,” the Spanish word for garlic. The more a garlic clove is crushed, smashed, chopped, the more ajoene is produced. But there’s a trade-off: the more damage done to a garlic clove, the more easily it is to burn it, especially on high heat, and burning leads to a bitter taste. Hence why “roasted garlic,” whole garlic heads, baked very slowly on low heat in the oven, are a very popular food item. A further metabolite allyl methyl sulfide, also stronger when the garlic is overly chopped or overly cooked, gives some of us garlic breath.
You’ll find garlic in many or most dishes of eastern Asia, India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, northern Africa, southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and much of Latin America.
Garlic is used to infuse oils that season vegetables, meats, breads, and pasta. Garlic goes into hundreds of dipping sauces. In some cuisines, the young bulbs are pickled for three to six weeks in a mixture of sugar, salt, and spices. In eastern Europe, the shoots are pickled and eaten as an appetizer. Latin American cooks use garlic in sofritoes (comparable to the French mire poix) and mofongos.
Garlic is ubiquitous in Middle Eastern and Arabic cooking, traditionally crushed together with olive oil, and occasionally salt, to create a Middle Eastern garlic sauce called toum (commonly served with shawarma). It also becomes part of hummus varieties. Smoked garlic is used in various European cuisines, especially for stuffing poultry and game, and in soups and stews.
Whipping up garlic with olive oil produces aioli. Simply crushing it and blending it with a few other ingredients gives us skordalia, mujdei, and ajoblanco. Basic tzatziki is made with yogurt, garlic, and salt.
Gardeners can choose from two groups of garlic:
Hardneck garlic (A. sativum var. ophioscorodon) includes porcelain garlics, rocambole garlic, and red/purple stripe garlics. Hardneck garlic has a thick, rigid central stalk. It produces large cloves and often has a strong, spicy flavor. You’ll know this type also by the fact that it puts out a flower stalk called a scape in the spring. Hardneck garlic likes cooler weather.
Softneck garlic (A. sativum var. sativum) includes artichoke garlic, silverskin garlic, and creole garlic. Softneck garlic has a flexible stem that flops over when it is ready to be harvested. Softneck garlic produces smaller, more numerous cloves that grow in layers. This is the kind of garlic that can be braided, and it stores the longest (9 to12 months). Softneck garlic withstands warmer temperatures.
LEEK (Allium ampeloprasum [syn. A. x porrum])
Leeks are the milder onion relative, especially when “field blanched” (shading the lower part of the plant to keep it tender). Although almost every recipe says to use just the white base of the leaves, the light green and even the darker green parts, when simmered and then sauteed, are quite edible. All parts are used to make stock or are tied with twine and other herbs to form a bouquet garni. Slow simmering makes it even more tender as well as milder in taste.
In France, leeks (nicknamed asperges du pauvre, “poor man’s asparagus”), are served cold with vinaigrette. Turkish cooks are chop leeks into thick slices, simmer them, and fill the slices with rice, herbs (generally parsley and dill), onion, and black pepper. Leeks mixed with olive oil, currants, pine nuts, and cinnamon make sarma. In Switzerland, leeks are cooked with potatoes for papet vaudois. Sephardic Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Passover with leek patties (keftikas de prasa). Of course, there is cock-a-leekie soup, leek and potato soup, and vichyssoise. Leeks have become common in various Chinese dishes (where I commonly use it).
Early-season leeks (spring-planted) are harvested at 50 to 100 days; late-season leeks (fall-planted; treated as biennials and overwintered) are harvested at 120 to 180 days after sowing. Baby leeks are becoming more popular, whereby either early-season or late-season leeks are grown to maybe only half their maturity.
Some of leek’s closest relatives include:
Elephant “Garlic” (Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum [syn. A. x porrum bulbiferum]), a wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum, the parent of modern-day leeks) and not a true garlic. If you’re looking for garlic taste, this isn’t it. But it is fun. Treated as a biennial (fall-planted) but can take two years to bulb up fully.
Kurrat or Egyptian Leek (Allium ampeloprasum var.[?] kurrat) is grown in the Middle East for its leaves (much like common leek) and, sometimes, it’s small bulbing bottom. It is generally regarded as being in the same species as other leeks, though it is also commonly listed as Allium kurrat.
Persian leek or Tareh (A. ampeloprasum ssp. persicum). A cultivated allium native to the Middle East and Iran, grown for culinary purposes and called tareh in Persian. The linear green leaves have a mild onion flavor and are eaten raw, either alone, or in food combinations.
“True” Pearl Onion (A. ampeloprasum var. sectivum or A. ampeloprasum “Pearl-Onion Group”). They are mostly used for pickling. Most onions grown for pickling are, however, common onions (A. cepa), which are grown to a small size suitable for pickling by planting at a high density. A true pearl onion will take up to two years to become sufficiently sweet.
Coming in at third place in the what’s-the-most-popular-Allium poll but one of my favorite Alliums for growing and eating…:
SHALLOT (A. cepa var. aggregatum)
The familiar “shallot” is the ‘French Red’ shallot. But the word “shallot” is also applied to the Persian shallot or musir (A. stipitatum), and the French gray shallot (Allium oschaninii).
Many common shallots are hybrids (Allium cepa X A. fistulosum; see “Tree Onion”).
Shallots taste similar to other types of the common onion, but have a milder, somewhat nutty flavor. The tubular green leaves of the plant are also eaten and are very similar to the leaves of spring onions and chives.
In most Indian cuisines, the distinction between onions and shallots is not so black-and-white. Larger varieties of shallot are sometimes confused with small red onions and used interchangeably. Most parts of India, in fact, use their regional name for onion interchangeably with shallot.
Shallots can be pickled (especially common in Indian, Indonesian, and Persian cuisines), finely sliced and deep-fried (as is common in several Asian and Indian cuisines), and minced for pilafs, risottos, and paellas,
In Sri Kanka, shallots go into pol sambola, lunu miris, and almost every other dish of any type (except desserts). In southern India, tiny varieties of shallots are used in curries and different types of sambar (a lentil-based dish). Momos, Nepalese fried dumplings, almost always include shallots. Wazwan Kashmiri curries use shallots instead of onions.
Shallots boost the flavors of many Southeast Asian dishes, particularly fried rice recipes, and are a key ingredient in noodle and slaw dishes. Palapa, a Filipino shallot-based condiment, is used in the dish called piaparan.
Because my focus here was on those Alliums used more as a vegetable (a key part of a dish) rather than as an herb (seasoning, garnish), I have left off the very popular CHIVES (Allium schoenoprasum), which will be covered in a future article on perennial herbs.
Finally, we have the fun stuff -- the OTHER ONION-Y THINGS:
Potato Onions (A. cepa var. aggregatum). This is a perennial “multiplier” onion that develops multiple mini-onions for each plant, much like shallot except larger. Botanically speaking, potato onions are classified under the same species and botanical variety — Allium cepa var. aggregatum — as are shallots (see just above). “Aggregatum” is a broad scientific label where botanists file all the aggregate (or multiple bulb) A. cepa oniony things. They’re a little smaller and milder in flavor than store-bought onions (more light fresh, sweet onions) and with a hint of garlic. You can use them as a respectable substitute in any recipe. The large bulbs are best as onions or shallots, the leaves function as chives or scallions, and the smaller bulbs work as larger scallions or leeks. They also make delicious pickles. Planted from bulbs, not seeds.
Welsh Onion (Allium fistulosum). Also called Japanese Bunching Onion (“Negi”), this specialty can be grown as “spring onions” or “scallions.” Most of the newer varieties are hybrids with Allium cepa var. cepa. Covered in detail in “AN ASIAN HERB & SPICE GARDEN – part 2.”
Tree Onion (Allium x proliferum [Allium cepa X A. fistulosum]). Maybe better known as Topsetting Onions, Walking Onions, or Egyptian Onions, it’s another perennial onion used for “spring onions” (“scallions”) in the spring or for the bulbils, which form at the top of the plant and are cooked very much like little common onions. In Asia, they are the most commonly used Allium for making “scallion” pancakes.
Chinese Chives (Allium tuberosum). Also called garlic chives, it, too, is an ornamental, as well as edible, clumping perennial. Foliage can be “field-blanched” in the ground for paler, more tender leaves. Foliage and flower scapes are used in stir-fries. Covered in detail in “AN ASIAN HERB & SPICE GARDEN - part 1.”
Rakkyo (Allium chinense). Like small, mild shallot. Perennial, leaves die down in summer, appearing again with fall rains. Grown from small “bulbs” planted in fall, harvested in spring (or grown over for a second year). Yet another “scallion.”
Ramps (Allium tricoccum). Also known as ramson, wild leek, wood leek, or wild garlic, this is a bulbous perennial flowering plant with an historical trendiness in the culinary world of the east side of the U.S. It does not grow well in the West.
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