Spanish Word for Garlic

The Spanish word "ajo" means garlic in English.

Garlic features in many household dishes in Spain, as it used as liberally as we would use salt and pepper to season our food. There are several varieties of garlic grown in Spain. Some are white, with many small white inaccessible cloves, whilst others have a purple tinge, and tend to be easier to peel. Some of them are strong, some are mild, some are almost sweet, and some have a lingering flavor. The purple garlic from Cuenca is generally considered to be the best of all. There is 80% of this particular variety exported throughout the world in order to meet the demands of gourmets. This variety has a light wheat color, a fine texture, and a pungent aroma.

Garlic is eaten both cooked and raw in Spain. It is common to find several whole or half cloves of garlic in salads, stews, and baked dishes.

Garlic has always been used in Spain as a traditional remedy and protection against many illnesses. Demographic studies suggest that garlic is responsible for the low incidence of arteriosclerosis in Spain because consumption is high.