Garlic(大蒜）
Garlic has a long history of human use of over 7,000 years. It was originally grown in Asia. It finally made its way to Europe and South and North Americas in the 16th century. It rapidly spread to the world because it was easy to grow and could stay alive in poor conditions.
Garlic has also long been used in medicine. Egyptians fed garlic to the slaves to keep up their strength and to defend against diseases. The Romans believed that garlic cured many diseases and helped heal wounds. Greeks gave garlic to athletes during the Olympic Games in order to increase their strength.
More recently, garlic has been mentioned as being used as a treatment for battle wounds in both World Wars. In fact, even today people eat garlic for its supposed benefits. For example, many people eat garlic to help fight colds and coughs. Some even claim that garlic can help prevent high blood pressure and cancer.
A different use for garlic in the past was to keep away bad spirits. In some countries, people believed that if they wore garlic around their necks, bad things would not enter their bodies. And if they hung garlic outside the doors of their homes, bad things would go away.
Garlic is now grown everywhere in the world. China is the largest producer of garlic, followed by India, South Korea, Egypt and Russia. The popularity of garlic has increased over the years. It is now widely used in all types of cooking. Chinese dishes use garlic. Italian dishes include a lot of garlic, too. Garlic is now highly valued for its taste throughout the world.