If you’ve never tasted black garlic, then this description from Black Garlic, Ltd., a manufacturer of this ‘fermented’ favorite item, will get you sitting up:

Black garlic is sweet meets savory, a perfect mix of molasses-like richness and tangy garlic undertones. It has a tender, almost jelly-like texture with a melt-in-your-mouth consistency similar to a soft dried fruit…It’s as delicious as it is unique.

Think of black garlic’s flavor being roasted garlic times a hundred. Here is how this ‘black gold’ is made, and how to use it.

Black Garlic: What Is It?

Long used in Japan and Korea, black garlic is a whole bulb of garlic slowly heated over a period of time to achieve its dark appearance and caramel-like texture. No additives, preservatives, or colorants are used to achieve the deep color, and the resulting garlic is often used as a health supplement due to its high levels of antioxidants.

The deep, rich color of the garlic comes from the sugars being drawn out over a long period of aging, the actual sugar conversion under a heat cure and humidity rather than actual fermentation.

How to Use Black Garlic

The cloves can be eaten by themselves without the harsh effects of plain garlic – no strong odors, no biting flavors, none of the spicy punch that fresh garlic packs. Black garlic is often associated with the term ‘umami,’ with its savory flavor and satisfying mouthfeel. The flavor can be described as having molasses, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar notes.

Black garlic has a smooth and soft texture, and because of its rich and subtle flavor, can be stirred into any recipe or eaten all by itself. Just peel, chop, and use. Since the flavor is so mellow, it is also used in desserts.

Black Garlic Tapanade Recipe

Try this recipe, courtesy Frieda’s, Inc.