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Salt Pickled Garlic

Subject: Dry pickled garlic
From: Angel
Date: 9/21/2022, 7:35 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com

On 9/21/2022 5:27 AM, Angel wrote:

Dear Phaedrus,

I'm writing because I was hoping you could point me in the right direction.  
I put a whole clove of garlic in with a small container of salt. Over weeks 
or months, the salt drew the water out of the garlic. It became damp garlic 
salt.  The garlic itself became smaller, yellow, and very salty (and in my 
personal opinion delicious but I eat garlic straight). I have done this twice.

Garlic is common around the world.  Preservation of perishable food is common 
around the world.  The only recipe I found online was clickbait: Free Food Tips.

- Can you direct me to 1-3 traditional recipes from around the world that use 
this dry pickled garlic? 
- Who dry pickles garlic and what is it used for?

Thanks,
Angel

PS - I read all your instructions, hopefully I got it right!

Hello Angel,

I had no more success than you had with this. Common "pickled garlic" is usually made with salt and vinegar. "Dried garlic" is commonly made with a dehydrator or dried in an oven. Either of these is then often ground for use as "garlic powder," or with salt added, is used to make "garlic salt" or is just used as a substitute for fresh garlic when fresh is not available. I'd think that "salt dried garlic" like you describe would be used the same way, either ground to make garlic salt (no additional salt would need to be added) or used in place of fresh garlic when fresh is not available. I found zero recipes that actually call for using garlic that has been dried using salt alone, nor did I find any history of garlic dried that way. The link that you found and one that links back to the same recipe are the only mentions that I could find of garlic prepared this way.

I will post this for reader input.

Phaed