Black garlic

Well,? says mushroom guru Damian Pike, ?What flavours do you think??

I?m visiting the Prahran market with other Melbourne food bloggers to see what hidden treasures it holds, and our guide, marketing manager Henrietta Morgan introduces us to what she labels ?the new culinary It? ? fermented Korean black garlic. I take a piece of the clove Damian has just peeled.

The flesh is indeed black, soft, and with an enticing aroma. It reminds me of something else. I can?t quite decide.

It?s earthy, there?s a gentle acidic overtone, a mellowness. Certainly the harshness of raw garlic has been tempered by the 30-day fermentation process.

Ah, porcini mushrooms. With a hint of good balsamic vinegar. And what else?

?How about liquorice?? Damian asks. Yes. In fact it also has something of the texture of soft liquorice.

I?m curious. I want to take it home and play with it. Damian is going to use some that night. He?ll mix it with butter and place it under the breast skin of a chicken. Sounds good to me. I buy a head of it.


The next night my son is loitering in the kitchen looking for something to eat. I point him at the eggs, the bacon, the mushrooms and suggest he might like to make himself an omelet. I suddenly remember my black garlic and give him a taste. Love at first bite. He finely chops up a clove and stirs it into the eggs, which he?s already seasoned with a little cayenne.

The omelet is made and consumed before I get a chance to say ?I?ll get the camera.?

He said it was a great combination. I might have to hide my stash.

While black garlic may have been around for many years in Asian cultures, it?s only recently reached Western kitchens and of course Ferran Adria has had his hands on it. It?s worth seeking out for experimentation, perhaps as an addition to a tapenade, in aioli, with mushrooms. It would be interesting in a tiny amuse bouche sorbet. With its hint of aniseed, it could be great chopped and included in a dressing for fennel salad...