Why does garlic turn green? Practical tips for getting rid of this problem

Some foods change color over time. Apples come first. Their flesh begins to darken when cut. Another product is garlic. It is about him that will be discussed in the article.

Its teeth are white, but in some cases they can turn green or blue. And when the color changes, questions immediately arise: the product has become hazardous to health, deteriorated, or is it a normal reaction to external conditions? Why does garlic turn green? The answers are in our article.

What scientists say

On the problem of changing the color of garlic cloves, scientists have carried out full-fledged research and found the reason. It turns out that they contain a special substance - allicin. The color changes precisely because of him.

Attention! Recent research confirms that allicin is a beneficial substance that, among other actions, prevents the development of cancer cells.

Allicin forms pigments that color the pulp blue or green. A change in color occurs when the integrity of the surface of the teeth is disturbed (in case of damage, cuts and grinding).

Important! The fact of pigmentation and color intensity depend little on varieties... Scientists have found that greening or blueing depends on the place of cultivation and the degree of maturity of the cloves.

Here are some patterns that have been noticed:

1. If garlic grew in southern countries with warm climates, it contains more allicin, unlike its counterpart from countries with cool climate.
2. Over time at storage the concentration of allicin increases.
3. Young or unripe teeth contain less allicin than mature ones.
4. The presence of trace elements (iron, zinc, copper, chromium, etc.) in the product does not affect the color intensity.

Can I eat

So, research has confirmed: you can eat blue or green garlic... It is not dangerous and does not deteriorate from the fact that it changes color. Products to which it is added during cooking also do not lose their beneficial properties.

In addition to external (perhaps not too appetizing) modifications, there are no other negative consequences from color changes.

Color change when used in cooking

Garlic is a valuable food product. However, it is worth considering some features of its use in cooking. Let's consider them in more detail.

When canning

Often when using fragrant cloves in cucumber seaming, tomatoes or mushrooms, they turn green. They don't look very appetizing in the marinade. This is how it looks:

To prevent this from happening, experienced housewives advise to preserve only young garlic. It is recommended to clean the slices by hand so as not to damage their shell. It is advisable to store the cans in a cool place after seaming.

When salting or pickling, proceed in the same way: harvest only young garlic. No heat treatment or notches on the teeth.

When frying and roasting

Chopped garlic often changes color in hot dishes - in fried potatoes, mushrooms and broths. This is facilitated by the temperature factor and processing time. The longer the food is in the dish, the more likely it is to change color.

How to avoid turning blue or green? We answer: add garlic to dishes at the very end of frying or baking (or just before serving). In other words, it needs to be cooked less.

Attention! Dried garlic can be used in hot dishes. It does not change color.

When salting bacon

Garlic is one of the main ingredients in many lard pickling recipes. Over time, it can also change its color.

This is mainly due to the time factor. Lard is salted for more than one hour, and the garlic has time to change color.

Experienced housewives advise not to crush it with a garlic press, but to chop it coarsely with a ceramic knife. This will significantly slow down the greening process.

Cooking tricks

To make food look more aesthetically pleasing (without green or blue spots of garlic), housewives use the following culinary "life hacks":

• only young garlic is used in cooking;
• at pickling or pickling, clean the slices with your fingers;
• marinate the cloves exclusively in a cold way, the marinade is not heat treated;
• keep preservation cool;
• dried garlic is put in hot dishes;
• fresh garlic is added when frying or baking at the very end of cooking.

Let's sum up

Now you know why the garlic turned green or blue during cooking. Almost any garlic changes color if the clove shell is damaged or cut. The degree of color change depends on the growing location (southern region or northern region) and the time of ripening (young or mature).

However, with a color change, the product does not become harmful or hazardous to human health. Therefore, it can be safely added to various dishes and prepared for the winter.