Drôme White Garlic PGI

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Production area

Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes

Grown in the region between Vercors and Provence, the distinctive Drôme white garlic PGI is fresher, milder and sweeter than other garlics. It comes from local varieties and plants that are planted, harvested, dried and packed in this geographical area of production.

What you need to know

Drôme white garlic PGI is a fall garlic, produced from two historical local varieties: Messidrôme and Thermidrôme. Nowadays, an organic version is also available.

Introduced by the Romans, who recognized its fortifying properties, garlic has existed for several centuries in this region situated between Vercors and Provence, as evidenced in a 17th-century book by Olivier de Serres, which references its production. Drôme garlic was spared from the diseases that affected other garlics in the 1960s, so became the reference for resistant varieties and helped revive garlic cultivation nationally. Today, 85% of French certified garlic plants originate from this region. Its characteristic sunshine and wind create favorable conditions for growing Allium sativum. The cloves are planted between October and December, with the fresh garlic being harvested in May-June, and dry garlic being available at the end of June. The windy climate means that the plants can be dried quickly, which is better for storage. Throughout the cropping cycle, producers must draw on their experience to judge the maturity of the garlic before it is harvested, and then the degree of drying. Next, the bulbs are sorted, and the soil and outer skin removed.

Characteristics

Look

Large, pearly white bulb, sometimes with purple streaks.

Taste

Fresh, slightly sweet flavor, milder than other garlic varieties, with a less persistent aftertaste.

Nutritional benefits

Garlic is recognized as a real health food. It is a source of vitamins C and B6, as well as phosphorous, potassium, manganese, selenium and iodine, and contains organosulfur compounds, phenolic acids and flavonoids.

Editor's note

« The well known Provencal dish aioli means "ail" (garlic) and "huile" (oil) in the Provencal dialect. They are the main ingredients in the sauce from which the dish takes its name. It is served accompanied by vegetables, cod and boiled eggs. »

How to use

Storing Drôme white garlic PGI

The whole bulb can be stored for several months in a dry, well ventilated environment away from light. The cloves can only be kept for a week once separated from the bulb and once cut, they need to be kept refrigerated.

Préparer & Servir l'Ail blanc de la Drôme IGP

On trouve l’ail blanc de la Drôme IGP frais en vrac ou sec à demi-sec en vrac, tresse, botte ou caissette.

Il se consomme cru ou cuit. La gousse d’ail sera épluchée avant d’être pressée au presse-ail ou écrasée avec le plat d’un couteau avant utilisation. Si l’ail est sec, on préconise d’enlever le germe, indigeste, en coupant la gousse en deux pour y accéder facilement. On laissera sa peau pour une cuisson « en chemise » avec un rôti ou un gigot.

Déguster l'Ail blanc de la Drôme IGP

L’ail est un condiment qui relève toutes sortes de préparation. Mélangé au persil et au beurre, il farcit escargots et coquillages. Associé au persil, aux zestes de citron et à l’anchois, il devient gremolata, persillade pour osso-buco, viandes blanches ou pâtes. On peut également le présenter en purée d’ail, après avoir cuit les gousses épluchées dans de l’eau salée, pour accompagner viandes et poissons. Il est également l’ingrédient phare de l’aïoli.