The power of garlic

Garlic's history dates back 6,000 years. In Korean history, garlic appears in the Dangun myth and is said to have been widely used for both medicine and cuisine during the Three Kingdoms period. It is also grown in Asia and in most of the Mediterranean region where it is popular because it enhances the flavor of food and improves health.

Today, garlic is an element that forms the identity of Korean food and is one of the essential ingredients in kimchi. For this reason, garlic consumption in 2024 was 9 kilograms per person in Korea, while Westerners consumed less than 1 kilogram per person.

Some foreigners may not like garlic's smell. There is a famous anecdote relating to garlic. When Korean major leaguer Park Chan-ho played baseball in the United States in the early 1990s, he was teased by his teammates because of his garlic smell.

Thanks to Koreans’ love for garlic, Goheung County, where I grew up, is one of the country’s main producers of garlic. The peninsula in South Jeolla Province is located at 34 degrees north latitude. It has a temperate, coastal climate and the ocean nearby is warmed by the Kuroshio Current. The ocean current helps to maintain a temperature above 10 degrees Celsius, even in the winter. Moreover, abundant year-round sunlight, a sea breeze and good soil have led to the cultivation of plants such as yuja (yuzu) and garlic.

Garlic has been grown intensively in Goheung County since the early 1960s. The people of my village have grown garlic since the mid-1970s. My parents cultivated about three acres of garlic. During the busy farming season, I helped my parents when I got home from school. At that time, Goheung produced about 16 percent of the nation’s garlic. Today it produces about 8 percent.

Garlic is planted in late September and harvested in mid-June of the following year. Most villagers sell garlic to distributors before harvest season. Then, the distributors pay workers to harvest the garlic, which is put in big trucks and sold in major cities such as Seoul or Daegu.

As one of the paid workers, I participated by digging up garlic from mid-May to early June. The process involved picking the garlic and tying it in a bundle. Alternatively, the garlic hair part could be cut with scissors and put into a net after picking, depending on the garlic seeds. Digging up garlic from the hard, dry ground was very difficult. At first, I dug with one hand. If that didn’t work, I pulled on it with both hands or with a hoe. The aftereffects for me included back pain, palm blisters and soreness in my fingers for a while.

In spite of the pain, I liked the job because this crop made it possible for me to continue my schooling. Also, Korean food with garlic is often credited for helping Koreans fight epidemics since 2000.

Garlic, one of the world’s top 10 super foods, is rich in allicin. Although allicin causes a strong smell, it helps the body absorb vitamin B1 and has antibiotic properties. Scientists have observed garlic's positive effects on atherosclerosis and heart disease by improving blood circulation. Studies have also shown garlic to assist in combating cancer cells. Therefore, eating garlic regularly helps citizens maintain a healthy life.

Kim Jin-heon is a retired English teacher who published a book titled, "Flower Is Flower."