From Food to Fun and Everything in Between(a)

大蒜好处多又多　美食保健都靠它

by Rebecca A. Fratzke

For over a thousand years, garlic has had people talking.

一千多年来，大蒜一直是人们讨论的话题。

We use it in sauces and add it to our vegetables. We buy it in bulk and take it in pill form. Although it makes our breaths smell terrible, we seemingly can't get enough of this wonder food. So what is it? Garlic! The origins of cultivated garlic are a bit hazy because the process in which garlic pollinates had been a mystery and caused farmers frustration for years. Eventually, this problem was solved by planting individual cloves from the mother plant. Today, garlic is easily grown, and its hardiness makes it an ideal crop. Backyard gardeners also enjoy garlic not only for its culinary uses but for its ability to repel rabbits and moles, which do a lot of damage to garden patches.

As a member of the onion family, garlic has a strong smell and flavor. These qualities are reasons why garlic is a main ingredient in Asian, Middle Eastern, North African, and Southern European cooking. It is also used readily in parts of Central and South America. Interestingly, garlic has also been regarded as medicine for thousands of years, basically as long as it has been food. Many ancient writings, including the Bible and those by Hippocrates, mention garlic being used to heal many conditions ranging from parasites to poor digestion. Today, there is scientific proof that many of these claims are true. From test results, eating garlic or taking garlic supplements has been shown to prevent cholesterol levels from increasing as well as reduce cholesterol buildup that is already present in the body. Other tests have shown how garlic benefits heart functions and can even help with curing common colds and coughs. With so many positive qualities, it's no wonder that garlic has been in our hearts, stomachs, and medicine cabinets for so long.

　我们用它调成酱汁，还会把它加在蔬菜中。我们会大量购买，还会吞下它的药丸。虽然它让我们口气难闻，但这神奇的食物似乎让我们怎么都吃不腻。它到底是什么？它就是大蒜！种植大蒜的起源有点难以查证，因为大蒜授粉的过程在过去一直是个谜，让农民多年来不断感到挫败。终于到后来，这个问题藉由将母株的各瓣分开种植才得以解决。今天，大蒜种植容易，而它的耐抗性使它成为理想的作物。人们喜欢在后院的菜园种大蒜，不只是因为它可用于烹饪，还能赶走兔子和鼹鼠这两种会严重破坏菜园的动物。

　　大蒜属葱科，有很重的的气味和口味，这些特质是大蒜之所以成为亚洲、中东、北非和南欧料理中主要食材的原因。它也常见于中南美洲的部分地区。有趣的是，大蒜在过去数千年来也一直被视为药材，基本上就和它做为食物的时间一样久。许多古老的文献中，包括圣经及古希腊名医希波克拉底留下的记载中，都提到大蒜曾被用来治疗从寄生虫到消化不良等等的症状。今天，经科学证实，这当中有许多说法都是正确的。从测试结果得知，吃大蒜或大蒜补充品可预防胆固醇增加，并减少已囤积在体内的胆固醇。其他测试也显示大蒜有益于心脏功能，甚至有助于治疗一般感冒及咳嗽。大蒜有这么多好处，难怪它长久以来一直在我们的心目中占有一席之地，不仅被拿来食用、也能作为医药用途。