The Great Garlic Book: A Guide with Recipes

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The Romans called garlic "the stinking rose," a moniker suggesting that even in ancient times, gourmands and gourmets recognized that, by any other name, this particular rose could spice up a meal like nothing else. But the Romans weren't the first to admire garlic's pungent delights--Egypt's King Tut took six perfectly preserved heads of garlic with him into the tomb and, presumably, the afterlife, and recent medical reports suggest that if the poor boy-pharaoh hadn't been murdered at age 18, his love of garlic might well have helped him regulate his blood pressure, reduce stress, and live to a ripe old age. And if it hadn't been for garlic, the Greek poet Homer tells us, that wily adventurer Odysseus would have been turned into swine along with the rest of his comrades by Circe the sorceress.

Whether you're looking to outwit witches, stave off vampires, or simply prepare a great meal, The Great Garlic Book is just what the doctor ordered. Subtitled A Guide with Recipes, the book is a cornucopia of information about this aromatic root. Author Chester Aaron has spent a decade cultivating more than 50 varieties of garlic--there are hundreds worldwide--and he generously shares his wealth of knowledge here. There's an entertaining section on garlic facts and fiction; a chapter on growing your own garlic; and finally, a selection of fabulous recipes, including Forty-Clove Garlic Chicken (made famous at San Francisco's Stinking Rose restaurant), that will have you asking your guests if they'd care for a little chicken with their garlic. For garlic lovers everywhere, The Great Garlic Book is likely to become the garlic bible.