Views of the bulb Solo garlic, also known as single clove garlic, monobulb garlic, single bulb garlic, or pearl garlic, is a type of ''

Allium sativum Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeastern ...

'' (

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...

). The size of the single clove differs from approximately 25 to 50 mm in diameter. It has the flavour of the garlic clove but is somewhat milder and slightly perfumed. The appearance is somewhat akin to that of a pickling onion, with white skin and often purple stripes. Solo garlic offers the advantage, compared to traditional garlic, of being very quick and easy to peel. Single clove garlic has been grown at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains for about 7,000 years. It is not a single variety of garlic, but rather a product of specific planting practices. As a result, single cloved versions of other garlic species such as '' Allium nigrum'' and ''

Allium ampeloprasum ''Allium ampeloprasum'' is a member of the onion genus ''Allium''. The wild plant is commonly known as wild leek or broadleaf wild leek. Its native range is southern Europe to western Asia, but it is cultivated in many other places and has becom ...

'' are also available.

Growth

Small bulbs of solo garlic can be obtained by planting the

bulbil A bulbil (also referred to as bulbel, bulblet, and/or pup) is a small, young plant that is reproduced vegetatively from axillary buds on the parent plant's stem or in place of a flower on an inflorescence. These young plants are clones of the par ...

s of any variety of garlic. However, commercial production comes from areas where garlic is likely to produce a solo bulb due to environmental factors. The climate in these areas, combined with careful cultivation, leads to a large percentage of the garlic crop failing to split into multiple cloves.

Cultivation

China

Solo garlic is believed to have originated in Yunnan, China, a mountainous area. The product is known as "only-child garlic".

India

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, it is known as ''ek kali ka lehsun'' or ''ek kali lahsun'', ( hi, एक कली का लहसुन), in the

Malvi language Malvi or Malwi (माळवी भाषा / માળવી ભાષા), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Malwa region of India. It is closely related to Nimadi, which is spoken in the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh. The dialects ...

, it is called ''ekal kuli'' (एकल कुली) and 'bitki lassan'. In বাংলা it is called ''ek koa rosun'' (এক কোয়া রসুন). It is mostly found in the central part of India and the major producing States are

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...

and some parts of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...

but the biggest supplying districts were

Neemuch Neemuch or Nimach is a town in the malwa region. Neemuch crowns the north western part of MP. It has been also referred to city of Nature and Peace. The town shares its northwestern border with the state of Rajasthan and is the administrati ...

and

Mandsaur Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on Border of Mewar and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District. The ancient Pashupatinath Temple is ...

. They are grown after

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

festival in Rabi Season in the month of November and December and harvested in February and March. In comparisons to Chinese Solo garlic, Indian Single clove garlics are smaller in size—around 1–2 cm—and more cylindrical in shape. Their skin is mostly white, with light purple lines appearing on some garlic bulbs.

Peru

A variety of monobulb garlic is sometimes found in markets in central Peru. It is known locally as ''ajo trompo'' "top garlic" due to the shape, which resembles a toy top. The skin is pure white. The flavor is as described above, mild and slightly perfumed. The origin is unknown, but it likely was brought to South America by Chinese immigrants.

References