Garlic has been around for so long and traveled the world so widely that it’s almost impossible to classify its numerous descendants, especially now that it’s become a vegetable of interest and growers are developing new cultivars. Nevertheless, scientists, taxonomists, and breeders are trying to pin down its lineage. Over the past twenty-five years research into the genetics of garlic has been intense and classifications have changed more than once.
Although genetics may not matter much to the home gardener, it can make interesting reading (see “Sources” for a couple of books on the subject) and will eventually have an impact on the garlic we grow and eat. The number of cultivars has been increasing every year since 1989, when Russia allowed the United States Department of Agriculture into the country to gather samples, which have subsequently entered the North American market. It’s enough to say there’s a lot more garlic out there than you know about. If you want variety in your repertoire, go to garlic fairs or consult the websites of growers who sell garlic for seeding and eating.
Today garlic is divided into two main types: hardneck (Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon), which grows a scape or flower stalk, and softneck (A. sativum var. sativum), which doesn’t. Hardneck garlic includes eight subgroups, and softneck garlic includes two subgroups (see below). These ten subgroups include dozens of cultivars; these are the named varieties we see when we buy from growers.
Just to complicate things, three of the hardneck subgroups (Asiatic, Turban, and Creole) don’t always grow a scape, and if they do it will be less woody than the scapes of most hardneck varieties; for this reason they are sometimes referred to as weakly bolting hardnecks. (“Bolting” is a term generally used to describe the premature growth of a flower stem among cool-weather plants, such as spinach and lettuce, which can run to seed early in hot weather.) Generally speaking, the softneck and weakly bolting hardneck cultivars do better in the milder climates of Canada and the United States, and true hardnecks are recommended for areas with cold winters. But be bold and experiment: garlic is a survivor and if given a chance can adapt to growing conditions anywhere except the Arctic and the deep tropics.
Here’s an arbitrary list of a few favorite cultivars, arranged under main type and subgroup. There are plenty more around. A couple of caveats: the tasting notes are subjective, gleaned from my notes and the tasting notes of others. The conditions under which garlic grows affect its taste as well as the color of the skins. Depending where you live, the cultivars mentioned here might not be available at your local fair or grower, but others just as good will be.
It’s always better to start with proven cultivars sold by growers in your area and then to branch out and try more “exotic” varieties from other parts of the country, available through catalogs. See “Sources” for a sampling of growers who sell by mail and for a listing of a few garlic festivals and fairs.
Every cook’s favorite. Excellent raw—less sulfurous, mellower, and sweeter than many other garlics. Rocamboles need cold winters to grow well and may not grow at all where winters are mild. Easy to peel, but the looser skins mean they don’t store long.
‘Brown Saxon’:
Plump, brownish cloves; strong rich flavor.
‘German Red’:
Light tan cloves with a bit of purple at the base. Hot raw; retains strong garlic taste when cooked.
‘Killarney Red’:
Might be a child of ‘German Red’ or ‘Spanish Roja’; large cloves; rich, full flavor.
‘Puslinch’ (also called ‘Ontario Giant’):
Robust, lively flavor.
‘Russian Red’:
Deep, sweet, full flavor. Brought to Canada by Doukhobors in late 1800s.
‘Spanish Roja’:
Large bulbs, rich, full, spicy flavor, a big favorite; mellow when cooked; needs cold winters.
Named for the striped skin, this subgroup is genetically closest to the original garlic. Some varieties still produce seed. Longer storing than Rocamboles, they also need cold winters to produce well and will grow in poor soil. Plump cloves.
‘Chesnok Red’ (also called ‘Shvelisi’):
From the Republic of Georgia. Rich yet sweet; excellent roasted or sautéed.
‘Persian Star’ (also called ‘Samarkand’):
Brought to North America from a bazaar in 1989. Rich flavor, medium bite, sweet and mellow when roasted.
Bulbs are squat, shiny, and purplish, with faint stripes and large cloves, but they’re no relation—except in the larger sense of being garlic—to Purple Stripes. In fact, DNA studies show that the Asiatics are closer to Glazed Purple Stripes than are the Purple Stripes. (I told you the study of garlic was complicated.)
‘Purple Glazer’:
Collected in the Republic of Georgia. Sweet, hot, and rich.
‘Red Rezan’:
From Russia, southeast of Moscow. Good garlic flavor on the mild side.
‘Vekak’:
A more intensely flavored cultivar; reportedly especially rich when sautéed to a golden color.
Most experts agree this is not a subgroup of Glazed Purple Stripe but another horticultural subgroup, and the name describes its dappled, striped skin. Plants are vigorous and tall with strong, dramatically curling scapes. They do well in cold climates but have been known to adapt to warmer areas, such as Texas, where one grower reported a good crop.
‘Bogatyr’:
Large, long-storing bulbs; very hot with a strong garlic taste when raw, especially when grown in southern climates, where it usually performs well. Taste remains fairly strong when cooked.
‘Metechi’:
Late maturing, long storing; produces well in regions with mild winters as well as colder ones; hot and strong.
These are statuesque plants with thick stems—more correctly called pseudostems. Bulbs are large and white, with a few large cloves. Porcelain garlic produces more allicin and thus a stronger taste than other varieties. Very cold hardy but adaptable to milder climates. Good soil is important, as is sufficient water, even just before harvest time.
‘Dan’s Russian’:
A variety developed on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. Strong yet mellow flavor enhanced by cooking.
‘Fish Lake #3’:
A robust cultivar developed by Ontario’s Ted Maczka, with a strong, lasting garlic flavor.
‘Georgian Crystal’:
Another from the Republic of Georgia. Less biting than some Porcelains.
‘Georgian Fire’:
A hot one, also from Georgia. Flavor lingers.
‘Majestic’:
Developed in eastern Ontario. A lovely big bulb with good-sized cloves and a full garlicky taste.
‘Music’:
A strong, dependable grower brought from Italy and now seen frequently at fairs in parts of Canada. Its big cloves are hot and pungent when raw, mellow when baked, although texture isn’t as creamy as that of some other cultivars.
‘Romanian Red’:
Among the first Porcelains to arrive in North America more than a century ago. High allicin yield; pungent and hot raw with a more complex flavor when roasted.
‘Rosewood’:
From Poland. Strong, lingering flavor.
‘Susan Delafield’:
Hot; grows well in British Columbia and isn’t averse to damp conditions.
Previously considered related to the Artichoke subgroup of softnecks, Asiatics now have their own class. They grow short scapes with long, distinctive “beaks” in northern climates but may not grow scapes at all in milder areas.
‘Asian Tempest’:
A Korean garlic with large cloves. Taste is strong and hot raw, milder and fully developed when cooked. If harvested early it keeps nearly six months.
‘Pyongyang’ (also called ‘Pyong Vang’):
Crisp texture, hot flavor; rich and mild cooked. Stores well. Rich, reddish purple.
These are delicate-looking plants that sometimes send up a weak scape with a turban-shaped umbel. They’re early, both to sprout in spring and to mature in summer, and they should be harvested after a couple of leaves have turned brown. Not known for long storage.
‘Chinese Purple’:
Good in southern climates; ripens early yet is one of the longer-storing Turbans. Be careful of it raw—it’s very hot.
‘Thai Fire’:
Originated in Bangkok, brought to Salt Spring Island in British Columbia by Dan Jason. It sprouts early, sometimes while it’s still in storage; typically bold, hot taste.
Creoles originated in Spain, not Louisiana, although they grow well there; they also sometimes grow a scape. For a time they were lumped with Silverskins; then they were called Southern Continentals. Some people in the Southwest call them Mexican Purples, perhaps because they grow in lovely colors of red and purple. Because they have a sweet, rich taste, they’re a good crop for a southern gardener with a yen to grow Rocamboles, which need a cold winter to grow a bulb. They’re also long storing, which Rocamboles aren’t. Gardeners in more northerly but not frigid regions have successfully grown Creoles, although they produce smaller bulbs in those areas.
‘Burgundy’:
Sweet, rich, and mild, but never dull. A beautiful purple, squat bulb.
‘Creole Red’:
A popular cultivar that arrived in California in the 1980s. Has a fine, rich earthy flavor with just enough bite. Stores seven or eight months.
‘Morado de Pedronera’:
Came to the United States from Córdoba, Spain, in 1991. It has fat, full cloves and a hot, strong bite, unlike most Creoles. Much mellower roasted or sautéed.
‘Rose de Lautrec’:
The pride of Lautrec, France. A pink-skinned beauty with modest pungency. Warm, but not hot, faintly musky. Long storing.
This variety is often used commercially because it’s easy to grow and produces large bulbs with many layers of cloves, the inner ones smaller than the outer layer. ‘California Early’ and ‘California Late,’ the varieties grown in Gilroy, California, the largest producer of fresh garlic in North America, are Artichokes. It’s an adaptable plant that seldom bolts or grows a scape. Taste can be simple, without richness or depth, but many cultivars have good flavor.
‘California Early’:
Flattish in shape, adaptable to many climates, early maturing; relatively mild, simple taste.
‘California Late’:
Smaller and rounder bulbs than its sister garlic, with more cloves. Hotter in taste and longer storing than ‘Early’ and can bolt or form bulbils in the pseudostem in more northern climates.
‘Inchelium Red’:
Voted the best-tasting garlic in a 1990 test done by Organic Gardening magazine. Interior cloves are a good size, unlike some other Porcelains. Pleasantly mild; produces less allicin than many varieties.
‘Kettle River Giant’:
A flavorful Artichoke that stores well for six or seven months.
‘Lorz Italian’:
Brought to Washington State in the 1800s by an Italian family. Good for mild winter areas but adapts to cooler climates, where it may partially bolt. Fine, complex flavor and stores well.
‘Siciliano’:
Flavor is rich and zesty but not too hot; good raw and stores well.
Silverskin is the variety usually sold in large quantities in supermarkets because it stores well. Like Artichokes, Silverskins generally don’t bolt, or grow a scape, though they will in climates with cold winters. They’re also more apt than other varieties to produce a bulb the same year in the north if planted in early spring, probably because they don’t need a period of vernalization. They’re the latest garlics to mature and sometimes can be stored as long as a year, although long storage can make their hot, sulfurous taste stronger. The taste of cultivars varies, however, from mild to strong and acrid.
‘Locati’:
Pinkish red, from Milan. Best sautéed lightly to temper the strong taste.
‘Nootka Rose’:
From Waldron Island in Washington State. The brownish cloves streaked with pink are very handsome. Many layers of cloves, with a rich, bold, medium-hot taste.
‘Silver White’:
It seems to grow anywhere, from maritime areas to places with warm or cold winters. Deceivingly mild at first, it explodes into intense heat that lasts. Lots of small inner cloves.