Nubia red garlic: what it is and its properties

The red garlic of Nubia is a particular garlic that presents the tunics of the colored bulbils of an intense red, from which the name derives. This garlic is grown in Nubia, which is a fraction of Paceto in Trapani, where by tradition, since the birth of the village in 1500, the methods of cultivating this special red-peel garlic have been handed down.

The village of Nubia was also known as the " garlic town ", precisely because this product was typical of the area. Even today the cultivation of garlic takes place in the traditional manner, from the choice of bulbils for sowing to harvesting and drying for storage.

Each step of its cultivation is handed down and hand-made according to respect for the environment and the product itself to keep its properties and taste unaltered.

The garlic of Nubia, also known as red garlic of Paceto or Trapani, sees its registration in the list of products of Denomination of Protected Origin ( PDO ) and has obtained a recognition of quality mark that enhances the product and its tradition.

Taste, characteristics and cultivation of Nubia red garlic

The word "all" means spicy and this reminds that garlic has a strong strong and pungent taste. In particular, Nubian garlic is rich in allicin which is the substance that gives the garlic flavor and therefore the taste is much more pronounced than in the common white garlic.

The red garlic of Nubia is made up of 12 cloves covered with a red skin, called an internal tunic, while the outer tunic that wraps all the cloves is still white.

This garlic is sown between November and December in rows which are then harvested between May and June. The ideal soils for the cultivation of this garlic are dark and clayey and often it is associated with other vegetables such as broad beans, melons or wheat in order to obtain the synergy advantages of plant intercropping.

The production yields are around 60 quintals per hectare and the companies currently cultivating this red garlic are about sixty. Its collection usually takes place in the evening to allow you to have a little more water inside the leaves of the plant which thus allows the formation of braids composed of several.

These braids are left to dry for a few days in the field and then continue to dry naturally in shaded and ventilated environments.

Is it possible to grow garlic at home?

Properties of garlic from Nubia

The peculiarity of this red Nubia garlic is given by its high concentration of allicin, the active principle responsible for the beneficial and healthy effects of garlic.

In the herbalist tradition and also in herbal medicine, the use of garlic as a natural antibiotic is now recognized. In fact, the effectiveness of garlic was found to counteract the development of bacteria and to increase prevention of viral infections.

Furthermore, the garlic rebalances the arterial pressure being a hypotensive with vasodilatory properties that make it a natural antithrombotic also preventing cardiovascular diseases. The extra garlic contains sulfides and minerals such as selenium which are capable of an anti-aging action, being able to fight free radicals.

Garlic is also a cholesterol-lowering agent due to its ability to lower bad cholesterol in the blood and is a purifier of the liver because it supports liver function in its detoxification and purification action on the body.

Garlic stimulates the immune system and is a natural pesticide that is useful for maintaining the intestinal flora in balance by fighting possible parasites or passing microbes in the gastrointestinal tract.

Phytotherapy and herbal products containing garlic are single dosages and these garlic extracts are usually designed to avoid the taste of garlic and to avoid the bad breath given by those who consume garlic.

Other uses of garlic

A particular use of garlic sees it used as a pesticide for plant protection against harmful insects but also as a mosquito repellent.

In fact, a macerated or an infusion based on garlic manages to keep away the insects that attack the crops of our garden. Even the only cultivation on the windowsill of garlic bulbs can keep mosquitoes away from home.

The flavor given by allicin in Nubia garlic is so strong that even only food use succeeds in keeping mosquitoes at a distance through skin perspiration.

Our breath when we eat garlic is not the best so it is recommended to brush our teeth immediately after eating it to remove the taste and smell but not always enough.

Excellent the use of floss and the chewing of mint or parsley leaves but also drinking a cup of tea that is rich in polyphenols can reduce the bad breath given by garlic.