When it smells like garlic in the woods, it's time again to collect wild garlic and make fresh wild garlic pesto. The green, aromatic leaves of the forest herb are very popular with many people. But what does wild garlic actually taste like?
What does fresh wild garlic taste like?
What wild garlic tastes like can be seen from its nickname: The plant is also known as “wild garlic”. In fact, the green leaves smell and tastestrongly like garlic, but areslightly milder than garlic and don't cause as bad breath.
What tastes similar to wild garlic?
Wild garlic not only tastes likeGarlic, it is also closely related to it. The Latin name for the wild herb is Allium ursinum, which shows that it belongs to the allium family. These include not only garlic, but also onions, chives and leeks. If you want to replace wild garlic - which is only available for a very limited time of the year - in the kitchen, garlic is the best choice. But be careful: Use the cloves sparingly, because garlic tastes much more intense than wild garlic!
Why does wild garlic taste so spicy?
Like garlic, wild garlic also contains the sulfur-containing compoundAllicinThis is not only responsible for the typical smell, but also ensures the slightly spicy taste. Allicin acts on the pain receptors in the mouth, which reports spiciness - which is actually not a taste but a pain. In addition, the substance is excreted through the air we breathe, which explains the characteristic garlic smell experienced by consumers. Allicin is also said to have manyhe alth-promoting properties: For example, it is said to have a blood-thinning and blood pressure-lowering effect. Allicin also fights many pathogens – viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Can wild garlic taste bitter?
However,
Cautionis recommended if the wild garlic tastes bitter! The green leaves can easily be confused with very similar-looking but highly poisonous other forest plants such as lily of the valley, autumn crocus or arum. These plants lack the smell and taste of garlic that are characteristic of wild garlic. But thepoisonous plants taste rather bitter.
But wild garlic leaves themselves can also taste bitter. This is often the casewith older leavesandafter flowering. Does your homemade wild garlic pesto taste bitter? Then you probably used the wrong oil - olive oil becomes bitter very quickly.
Tip
How often can you eat wild garlic?
Basically, you can eat as much wild garlic as you want. In any case, the herb is only available for a few weeks a year. As a rule of thumb, however, you can remember that about a handful of wild garlic leaves per day and over a period of around four weeks is completely harmless.
