The Secret Weapon in Arab Food: Health Benefits of Garlic
By Ani Karapetyan/Contributing Writer
Garlic has always been super popular in the Arab World. Arabs use garlic for both purposes: as a food product, and for medical purposes.
Arabs have always been well aware of a large amounts of vitamins in garlic. Additionally, there is also a complex of specific active components found only in garlic.
Before listing the delicious Arab foods with garlic, let’s talk more specifically about garlic’s health benefits:
Antimicrobial, antiviral protection
Garlic, due to its large amount of allicin, has a powerful antiviral, antimicrobial effect. Because of its allicin, garlic is the number one killer for bacterias that cause viruses. The effectiveness of garlic can be compared with the action of antibiotics. Hence, Arabs have been using garlic for flu, whooping cough, pneumonia, tuberculosis. We recommend you too to use garlic for microbial and viral diseases.
Prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases
The use of garlic and garlic oil effectively reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the vessels. This is promoted by the same allicin. Therefore, garlic is recommended for people with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and arteriosclerosis of blood vessels. Eating this vegetable helps to improve heart function. It is excellent to use for the prevention of strokes and myocardial infarctions.
Prevention and comprehensive treatment of cancers
Thanks to allicin, garlic is able to significantly reduce the likelihood of cancer. Its use is one of the effective methods of prevention of tumor.
Gastrointestinal tract
Garlic has a positive effect on digestion; it stimulates and increases appetite, which is good for people with reduced body weight. Garlic and garlic oil destroy the pathogenic microflora in the intestines, and eliminates putrefactive processes in the digestive tract and flatulence.
Skin Diseases
If the skin does not heal and fester for a long time, simply smear the affected areas with the juice of garlic. Bacteria can not withstand such a blow. When there were no special means at hand, and the wound must be disinfected urgently, Arabs were treating the wound with garlic to avoid infections.
The use of garlic for scalp and hair is especially important in baldness because in some cases, it is possible to achieve a persistent positive result.
Despite the below mentioned magical health benefits, it is almost impossible to eat garlic by itself. That’s why we offer you these incredibly delicious Arab dishes with garlic that will make your use of garlic both pleasant and healthy.
Molokhia
This traditional Arab dish, known as the food for the Pharaohs, contains at least three full bulbs of garlic. Molokhia is a very healthy dish not only because it includes garlic, but also because of molokhia leaves which have numerous vitamins and minerals.
For the detailed recipe for this magnificent dish, click on the following link.
Khyar and Laban (Garlic Cucumber Yogurt Salad)
This healthy salad, which can be served as an appetizer too, contains two cloves of garlic. To make this easy and quick salad, follow this link.
Biesar – Broad Bean Purée
This protein rich Arab dip contains 5 cloves of garlic. It is not only very healthy but also, due to its bright coloring, makes your table more colorful.
Batata wa Summaq – Potato and Sumac Appetizer
This Arab dish can be served for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side dish. It has in it 3 cloves of garlic.
Broad Bean Salad – Salatat Fool
This salad is very simple, yet very tasty and healthy due to its ingredients such as garlic, broad beans, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Tajine bil Hut – Fish Stew
4 cloves of garlic adds a special flavor to this fish stew, making it very healthy and delicious.
Danjlal- Eggplant Puree
Surprise your guests with this tasty eggplant and garlic puree.
Shlada Disjada – Carrot Salad
Everyone needs to include this extremely healthy carrot salad with garlic in his/her diet.
Hamour Mahshi – Stuffed Grouper
Hamour Mahshi is an elegant dish with 6 cloves of garlic: especially good for special occasions.
Salatat Banadura – Tomato Salad
To make this salad will take you only 5 minutes, yet it has life long health benefits.
Tarator Sauce
Fill one third water, one third Tahini,and one third lemon Juice in a jar. Add salt, lots of crushed garlic, then mix it.
This, of course, not a complete list of Arab food that contain garlic. To explore more of Arab food with this extremely healthy ingredient, check the Arab recipe of the day on our website.
