Does Laba garlic only turn green during Laba Festival? Why does Laba garlic turn green?

Laba garlic is a custom in the north. At the end of the year, every household will soak garlic in a jar of vinegar in preparation for the New Year. This has become a must-have delicacy for every household during the New Year. Laba garlic is named Laba garlic because it is soaked on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in winter.

Does Laba garlic only turn green during Laba Festival?

Some people say that Laba garlic will only turn green on the Laba day. In fact, this is wrong. The main reason why Laba garlic turns green is the change of sulfide in garlic. What is sulfide? It is the smell you smell when you open the lid of Laba garlic. Some people like it, while others don’t. In fact, it is sulfide.

Why does Laba garlic turn green?

When acetic acid is added to garlic at low temperature, the substances in the garlic will react to generate blue pigment and yellow pigment, which will turn green when superimposed. However, blue pigment is not stable and will decompose when exposed to light or when the temperature rises. Therefore, it is best to store Laba garlic away from light. Yellow pigment is relatively stable, so the color of Laba garlic will turn yellow over time and the taste will not be as crisp.

Does the green Laba still have nutrition?

Garlic has a broad spectrum of antibacterial properties, can also improve the body's immunity, and has the effect of preventing and inhibiting tumors. The spicy taste of pickled Laba garlic is reduced, and the allicin content is lower than that of fresh garlic, but the pigments produced during the pickling process also have good antibacterial effects, and the green garlic still retains some antioxidant properties, and also has good health value. According to Science and Technology Daily, the natural drug chemistry team of Professor Chen Haixia of Tianjin University discovered 3 new active peptides from "Laba garlic" for the first time. These active peptides have significant antibacterial properties and are expected to become substitutes for antibiotics.

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One is low temperature. After being harvested in the summer, garlic will enter a physiological dormancy period. The length of dormancy varies depending on the variety, generally ranging from 60 to 80 days. During the dormancy period, the physiological activities of garlic are slow, and the color of garlic at this time is the common white or light yellow. Low temperature will release the dormancy of garlic. Especially under the temperature condition of 2℃-12℃, the release of garlic physiological dormancy will be accelerated, and allinase will be activated, which plays a catalytic role in the greening of garlic.

The second is the color change time. The blue pigment in Laba garlic will reach its peak around 25 days after pickling, and then gradually turn into yellow pigment. Around 40 days after pickling, Laba garlic has basically completely changed from green to yellow. Laba is usually 21 or 22 days away from New Year's Eve, and this time interval just makes Laba garlic present the peak color and taste during the Chinese New Year.

In addition, garlic turning green is very nutritious. For people with poor gastrointestinal function, eating a little Laba garlic can not only kill bacteria and enhance immunity, but also avoid the strong irritation of organic sulfides in garlic to the gastrointestinal tract. Although Laba garlic has less odor than ordinary garlic, it plays a significant role in human health.