Contents
Autumn is the season for harvesting. Shops provide a large selection of domestic and foreign vegetables. Ordinary inhabitants have a problem of choice: beauty or quality. So that the keeping quality is long, and the taste is pleasant. Several signs will help distinguish Chinese garlic from .
Experts believe that foreign vegetable does not bring health benefits
Why Chinese garlic is bad
Foreign vegetable refers to decorative species. Gardeners grow it as a bulbous plant known as “Onion Garlic” or “Jusai”. In China, the vegetable is used as a seasoning for a dish.
Chinese garlic is round in shape, white in color, sometimes has a purple hue.
The head can reach 10 cm in diameter. The imported vegetable lacks an inner core, and the cloves are smooth and even. This characteristic allows you to identify Chinese garlic.
During growth, the head becomes green, and turns white when ripe. In China, garlic is used in folk medicine, but the product that goes on the shelves of domestic stores is not so useful. Experts point to the following reasons:
- high content of pesticides;
- for long-term storage and transportation, garlic heads are treated with chlorine;
- contaminated soil;
- industrial complexes use unfiltered water.
Toxic pesticides are used as a fertilizer for rapid maturation and large heads. Many compounds are banned for use in other countries. As a result, a person develops allergic reactions that are dangerous for the health of pregnant women and children.
Before shipping, the manufacturer treats the crop with a chlorine solution to prolong the keeping quality and destroy insects. The drug bleaches the husk and makes the product more attractive to the consumer. Chlorine causes irritation of the upper respiratory tract and stimulates the development of cancer cells.
Eating an artificially bleached vegetable is dangerous for human health, especially for the elderly and children.
Constant fertilization of the soil with pesticides makes the soil composition toxic. Oversaturation with chemical elements such as cadmium, arsenic or heavy metals leads to the accumulation of poisons in the heads of garlic. During the analysis, experts found a dangerous content of pesticides in the vegetable.
The quality of water in China’s rivers has long puzzled scientists. Industrial waste flows into reservoirs, from which plants are subsequently irrigated.
What is the difference between Chinese garlic and
When choosing a product, experts advise giving preference to domestic. In order not to make a mistake when buying, the following differences between Chinese and garlic are distinguished:
- white color of the head;
- smell and taste;
- no roots on the head;
- lack of germination and drying;
- the weight.
Head color
To test Chinese garlic, pay attention to the white and smooth husk. Sometimes the head may have a slightly purple tint. The buyer should be alerted by the bleached color of the product. Domestic vegetable usually looks gray and sometimes dirty.
lack of roots
After harvesting, the manufacturer conducts pre-sale preparation. In China, the roots are cut with scissors, which prevent further reclamation of the plant. Roots are generally invisible. Only the rim remains. Domestic heads – with cut visible roots. You can distinguish Chinese garlic from by carefully examining the photo.
The roots of a Chinese vegetable are cut to the very outlet, subsequent processing does not allow them to germinate
The weight
The content of tannic solids in the imported product is higher, so its weight is less. They prevent shrinkage, so the Chinese bulbous vegetable retains juiciness longer.
There are fewer essential oils in the imported product, because there is no central core. Therefore, when choosing, you can distinguish garlic from Chinese garlic by weight.
Doesn’t germinate
Chinese garlic also differs from garlic in that the former does not sprout. Imported product is keeping due to chemical treatment. The vegetable in January-February of the next begins to dry out and germinate.
Chinese garlic stays juicy longer and does not germinate
Smell and taste
Often the teeth fall apart. Some are parched, while others, on the contrary, are covered with mold. The taste of such a product is not comparable with domestic. It is not so sharp, because the central rod is missing.
When boiled, the color of the garlic may change. Nothing bad is happening. It is permissible that the vegetable turns green during the cooking process. This should not alarm the hostess. This factor does not indicate that the product is imported. Domestic product may also change color to greenish or bluish.
Experts explain this ability by the fact that when broken and cleaned, the essential oil allicin is released. Therefore, garlic has such a pungent smell and burning taste.
During heating, allicin decomposes into sulfates and sulfites. When interacting with water, a chemical reaction occurs, as a result of which pigments are released, and the vegetable turns green or blue. These essential oils do not harm human health.
More ripe and larger heads acquire a rich color, because the amino acid content in the product is higher than usual. The young vegetable does not change color.
China is located in a warmer climate zone, so the vegetable reaches its maximum degree of maturity. In Our Country, it is colder, so garlic does not have time to absorb a large amount of amino acids.
Chinese vegetable contains more amino acids due to climatic conditions of cultivation
Conclusion
Appearance will help to distinguish Chinese garlic from . Excessively whitish heads are the first sign that the product is imported. Experts consider the domestic product more useful. A vegetable grown on its own plot will definitely be free of harmful impurities.
