Black garlic, otherwise known as fermented garlic, is a black, tar-like substance that is delicious in both savoury and sweet foods. Its flavour is a little bit bitter and a little bit sweet, with hints of balsamic vinegar, molasses, licorice and tamarind. Its umami flavour works well in soups and sauces and seaweed-based broths, and in desserts it’s extraordinary.
Chocolate Artist Laura Slack made the Lestat Truffle—a dark chocolate skull filled with black garlic–infused salted caramel—at the Second Annual Toronto Garlic Festival. It sold out in two hours. Toronto Life included it as one of “50 Crazy Good Things to Eat and Drink” in 2013. Since then many chocolatiers and dessert chefs have created memorable garlic desserts over the years.
The process of making black garlic is done by heating whole bulbs of garlic (Allium sativum) at low heat over several weeks. Black garlic is created through the enzymatic breakdown of a chemical in garlic, alliinase, and the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is the chemical reaction that gives a uniquely delicious flavour to browned foods, such as roasted coffee, maple sugar, chocolate and the darkened crust of bread. The reaction results in hundreds of different flavour compounds, depending on the type of food. The flavour of black garlic is similar to but distinct from other foods that have gone through the Maillard reaction.
Below are 2 recipes you can try at home: how to make your very own homemade black garlic, and how to make black garlic butter tarts!