Garlic has been used for many purposes other than food, throughout history.
- Homer mentions garlic in his famous Odyssey, saying that the deity Hermes, gave garlic to Odysseus as a protection against the goddess Circe‘s evil sorcery in which she turned men to swine.
During the Roman Empire garlic was a symbol of the common people, since no noble would debase himself by smelling of garlic.- Unfaithful Egyptian husbands relied on garlic’s unique “scented” properties, as they would chew a clove or two on their way home from visiting their mistresses, ensuring that a jealous wife would be unable to detect any stranger’s perfume.
- At the peak of Egypt’s power over 4,00 years ago, garlic was given to the laborers and slaves who were building the great pyramids in order to increase their stamina and strength.
- Modern day Germany and Czechoslovakia both have an old Proverb that says, “A bite from a watch dog is much more cutting and painful if the dog has eaten garlic at the New year,” and another says, “Garlic is as good as ten mothers.”
- Garlic has been used to ward off vampire’s, so the legend goes, and during the medieval era when children went to play or work in the fields, cloves of garlic hung around their necks to protect them from the evil spells of the local witch.
- French priests of the Middle Ages used garlic to protect themselves against bubonic plague.
- During World War I, European soldiers prevented infection by putting garlic directly on their wounds.
After 6000 years of folklore, garlic has now come to be valued not only as a food source, but seen for it’s therapeutic benefits. Such as an article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry states saying that garlic taken in conjunction with whole grains appears to increase the body’s absorption of iron and zinc.
Over the centuries of human history, garlic has remained synonymous with eternal youth, health, vigor and vitality.
Our featured recipe has fresh garlic cloves, 20 to be exact. Here is what you will need to prepare – Garlic Thyme Chicken Thighs.
2 tablespoons avocado oil
4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
20 cloves garlic, separated and peeled, about two full heads
2 tablespoons gluten free multi-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
10 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, leaves removed and stems discarded
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Over medium high heat, in a cast iron skillet, heat the avocado oil .
Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper.
Cook the chicken thighs skin side down on medium-high heat until well browned, for about 5 minutes, then flip the chicken thighs skin side up and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the same skillet, and cook, occasionally turning, until garlic starts to brown, 3 or 4 minutes.
Return the chicken to the cast iron skillet, cover with a lid (if the skillet has one) or aluminum foil, and place in oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and put it on a stove top. Have caution though removing the cast iron skillet, as the pan will be very hot.
Remove the chicken thighs, garlic, and all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan. Over medium heat, whisk in the 2 tablespoons of gluten-free flour with the oil in the pan.
Next, gradually whisk in the chicken broth and fresh thyme leaves for 1 or 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove the pan from the heat, and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Add the roasted garlic and chicken thighs back to the pan. Serve with your favorite side dish, a salad, and enjoy.
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
Reblogged this on sliceofheaveninsweden and commented:
Garlic Chicken yum!