Why does garlic turn green? Practical tips to get rid of this problem

Some foods change color over time. In first place are apples. Their flesh begins to darken when cut. Another product is garlic. This is exactly what 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: has the product become hazardous to health, has it deteriorated, or is this 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 conducted full-fledged research and found the reason. It turns out that they contain a special substance – allicin. It is because of this that the color changes.

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

Allicin forms pigments that color the flesh blue or green. A color change occurs when the integrity of the surface of the cloves is damaged (damage, cuts and grinding).

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

Here are the patterns that were noticed:

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

Can it be eaten?

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

Apart from external (perhaps not very 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 take a closer look at them.

When canning

Often when using aromatic cloves in cucumber rolls, tomatoes or mushrooms they turn green. They don't look too appetizing in the marinade. This is what it looks like:

To prevent this from happening, experienced housewives advise preserving only young garlic. It is recommended to clean the slices by hand so as not to damage their shell. After sealing, it is advisable to store the jars in a cool place.

When salting or fermenting, proceed in the same way: Prepare only young garlic. Without heat treatment and cuts on the cloves.

For frying and baking

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 a product sits in a 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 doesn't change color.

When salting lard

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

This is mainly due to the time factor. The lard is salted for several hours, 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 slow down the greening process significantly.

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, peel the slices with your fingers;
• The teeth are pickled exclusively in a cold way, the marinade is not subjected to heat treatment;
• keep the preserves cool;
• dried garlic is added to hot dishes;
• fresh garlic is added when frying or baking at the very end of cooking.

Let's sum it up

Now you know why garlic turns green or blue during cooking. Almost any garlic changes color if you damage the shell of the clove or cut it. The degree of color change depends on the place of cultivation (southern or northern region) and the time of ripening (young or mature).

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