How to Tell Taiwan, China Garlic from Imported Garlic? Extension Station Experts Teach You Three Steps
Hit by the double impact of last year's typhoons and the price of seed garlic, the garlic planting area this year fell sharply by 500 hectares. The Agriculture and Food Agency preliminarily estimates this year's garlic output at about 37,000 metric tons, and consumers buying garlic in the market may see prices reach 100 yuan per Taiwanese catty. Lin, an inspector with the Agriculture and Food Agency's Crop Production Section, pointed out that domestic garlic output is relatively short this year, and conservatively estimates that garlic imports this year could reach 13,500 metric tons in order to meet domestic market demand.
Shengang "early garlic" leads the whole of Taiwan, China, with imports from Argentina and Spain taking over
"Garlic" is an indispensable supporting player on Taiwan, China dining tables. The "early garlic" produced in Shengang, Changhua, is the first to reach the table around Chinese New Year each year, and only when the calendar reaches Qingming do garlic from Erlin in Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and other places gradually come to market.
Inspector Lin said that Taiwan, China garlic is generally supplied from Qingming each year all the way to October; if ventilated and stored well, it can even be supplied until January of the following year without problem. However, each year there is still a gap of one to five months without local garlic, and at that time garlic is imported from Argentina, Spain and other countries to take over. As for how much garlic is imported each year, it all depends on that year's production situation in Taiwan, China, "but at least 3,520 metric tons will definitely be imported; this was the quota agreed when joining the WTO."
How to distinguish local and imported garlic? The agricultural improvement station explains
Compared with pungent local Taiwan, China garlic, imported garlic is somewhat bland and tasteless. Xiao Zhenghong, section chief of the Crop Improvement Section at the Taichung District Agricultural Improvement Station, shares the criteria for identifying local and imported garlic: clues can be found from the garlic bulb, garlic stalk and garlic clove.
(1) Look at the shape of the garlic bulb:
Xiao Zhenghong explained that garlic produced in Shengang, Changhua, is the "Hemei" variety, while garlic produced in Erlin in Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and other places is the "Dapianhei" variety. The garlic bulb resembles a wax apple, with cloves alternating above and below and growing as inserted cloves; as for garlic from Argentina and Spain, the varieties are similar, the bulbs are flatter and rounder, shaped like a Murcott tangerine, and the cloves grow evenly.
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