Garlic steals the show

Published August 24, 2022

It’s the pungent bulb most of us can’t live without

It was a surprise to realize that after three years of weekly columns (!), I hadn’t written about garlic. But as I researched and prepared this story, the reason became clear: garlic is a part of so many recipes, it felt like I had already written about it.

That’s true of just about every type of cuisine, and in Mexico, it’s no different. Perhaps the most classic example is in cacahuates oaxaqueños, an irresistible, spicy garlic-and-peanut snack mix, but garlic (ajo) appears in everything from marinades to salsas.

What’s important to know about garlic is that freshness counts. I can’t bring myself to buy already peeled garlic cloves in a jar or other kinds of prepackaged garlic; I prefer whole heads. What you want to look for are firm heads with no sign of mold or fungus, the biggest issues. Not firm? Look elsewhere.

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