A few years ago, somewhere in Japan or South Korea, while the garlic was being air-dried a mistake was made with the amount of time and heat, resulting in black garlic. When they tasted it, they realised the garlic was sweeter, but it also kept all the nutritional qualities and health benefits of normal fresh garlic. After more research, countries like Japan, South Korea and China started producing this black sweet garlic.
The cooperative San Isidro El Santo, assisted by a Japanese scholar, discovered that when turning Las Pedroñeras' Purple Garlic into Black garlic, not only are its natural properties kept, but they are actually improved.
"The Japanese already know our garlic because they have been importing it for years. This garlic not only keeps its properties when turning it into Black, but the number of polyphenols it contains increases," affirms Juan Jesús, a garlic producer of the cooperative. "The idea behind this was to keep the qualities of fresh garlic, but make them really sweet so that the taste does not stay in your mouth, and we finally have it. We have created a unique product from our extraordinary Purple Garlic."
Although the product is still being tested before it hits the market, the cooperative San Isidro El Santo has already presented it at the recent Fruit Attraction 2012, mixed with chocolate and also with sugar, "receiving very positive feedback from those who tasted it," affirms Juan José. "We would first introduce the product into the Japanese market, because they are the ones demanding it."
For more information:
Juan Jesús Arellano (producer)
Jose Manuel Cerezo (manager)
Cooperativa San Isidro el Santo
avda Sebastian Molina 4 Las Pedroñeras ,Cuenca. Spain.
Tel: +34967160111
Mob: +34 608 725 902
jmcerezo@sanisidroelsanto.com