| ≥1 piece |
In the botanical world, garlic (Allium sativum L.) and onion (Allium cepa L.) are considered vegetables. In the culinary world, they are both vegetables and sources of savory and occasionally pungent flavors and aromas. The distinctive and variable flavors of garlic and onion are as complex as the process which produces them.
Onion and garlic flavors begin with slicing, grinding, crushing, and/or cooking. These physical processes rupture individual cells and facilitate reactions between enzymes and flavor precursors. In onion, allinase acts upon the lacrimitory precursor producing the lacrimitory factor. In garlic, allinase acts upon alliin to form allicin. In both, allinase reacts with other sulfur-containing molecules to form highly reactive substances. The result is a series of reactions which produce an array of aromatic sulfur compounds.