The market · Alliums · East Asia

Black garlic

Whole garlic held warm and humid for weeks until the cloves turn black, soft and sweet — balsamic, molasses and tamarind, with almost no bite. It's browning, not fermentation, despite the name it's often given.

sweet · balsamic · tamarind-like · soft

What to do with it

Ibu Sari's Beef rendangBlack garlic would cut through its richnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilBlack garlic would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaBlack garlic would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's Rendang, the Lagos wayBlack garlic would cut through its richness

Goes with

beefbuttermushroomsoy sauce

Knowing it

Where to buy
Delis and Korean grocers, as whole bulbs or peeled cloves. Or make it: a rice cooker on 'keep warm' for two to four weeks — in a shed, if you can, for the smell.
A little history
Developed as a health food in Korea and Japan, and in Western restaurant kitchens by the late 2000s.
Worth knowing
It isn't a swap for garlic. Mash it with a little oil or water into a paste and fold it into butter, aioli, glazes or a pan sauce for beef or mushrooms.

More alliums

AlliumsFried shallotssweet, crisp, toastyIn Roast Beef Sammich · 3 classicsAlliumsGarlicpungent, sweet when cooked slowIn Pil pil, Sambal ijo · 230 classicsAlliumsGarlic chivesgarlicky, grassy3 classicsat its peakAlliumsLeekssweet, gentle10 classics