Garlic
| Garlic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Allium sativum, known as garlic, from William Woodville, Medical Botany, 1793. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Allioideae |
| Genus: | Allium |
| Subgenus: | A. subg. Allium |
| Species: | A. sativum |
| Binomial name | |
| Allium sativum | |
| Synonyms | |
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Synonymy
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Garlic (Allium sativum) is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to Central Asia, northeastern Iran and the foothills of Himalayas. It has naturalized in many other parts of the world, including Mediterranean Europe and China. There are two subspecies and hundreds of varieties of garlic.
Garlic has been used for thousands of years as a seasoning, culinary ingredient, and traditional medical remedy. It was known in many ancient civilizations, including the Babylonians, Egyptians, Jews, Romans, and Chinese, and remains significant in many cuisines and folk treatments, especially across the Mediterranean and Asia. Sulfur compounds give garlic its pungent odor and flavor. There is insufficient clinical evidence to indicate that consuming garlic has any health benefits.
Garlic is cultivated in a variety of climates and countries; China was the largest producer in 2024, accounting for 73% of the world's supply, according to the United Nations FAOSTAT.
