A sweet yet bold aroma that’s less aggressive. It even passes the kiss test.
Origin
This is an elegant product, unique for its delicate flavor. It’s called pink garlic, a variety with a very long history. Legend has it that it first appeared during the medieval period in the region of Lautrec, France. It’s said that a traveling merchant stopped for a break in the town of l’Oustallarié. He didn’t have money so he paid for his meal with pink garlic cloves. These were then planted by the innkeeper which made the pink garlic famous and brought it great success in the region. In the late 1950s, a group of young farmers decided to promote its production and in 1959 set up an organization to protect it called the Syndicat de Défense du Label Rouge Ail Rose de Lautrec. It obtained the quality assurance mark “Label Rouge” in 1966 as a official recognition of its superior quality, and in the same year it also earned European protection as a Product of Geographical Indication (PGI). There are different varieties of Lautrec pink garlic with a quality mark: traditional Rose de Lautrec (Or forain) and certified seeds (Libérose, Goulurose, Edenrose and Jardirose).
In the kitchen
It’s advertising slogan is “Ne dites pas ail avant de l’avoir gouté” or “Don’t call it garlic until you try it”. It has a sweet but bold aroma that’s less aggressive than other varieties. It doesn’t overwhelm the taste buds, which helps it create more harmony in any dish. Even in small quantities, Lautrec pink garlic enhances the flavors in a recipe, from the simplest to the most refined. This garlic grows on rigid stems, which explains the traditional way of packaging and selling it in bunches (manouille) rather than woven together. Those bunches delight cooks because besides being practical, they’re a great decorative element for the kitchen. Its delicate flavor means this garlic can be eaten raw, but it’s also perfect for cream sauces and soufflés.
Did you know
This product owes its characteristics to the place it comes from. Lautrec is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France. It has been able to preserve an authentic spirit by focusing on the quality of local products. It has always been an agricultural area, and it still maintains its traditions, especially the use of underground silos for storing grain, and of course the production of pink garlic. This type of garlic demands very specific farming methods that include various aspects like conditioning and preparing the seeds, specific planting dates, crop rotation, the amount of fertilizer, harvest dates, and conditions for drying, sorting and packing.
