A to Z of French Herbs - Violet Garlic - Ail de Violet
Violet Garlic
Violet Garlic as its name suggests, is characterised by its purple colour. Cultivated on the hillsides of Cadours, hung in barns and sheds and braided by hand. It’s a beautiful looking garlic with a great taste.
Violet Garlic in France is an AOP garlic. AOP meaning Appellation d'origine protégée. The protected designation of origin (POD) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designate products that have been produced, processed and developed in a specific geographical area, using the recognised know-how of local producers and ingredients from the region concerned. The violet garlic of Cadour is said to be the oldest garlic in France.
There are many different varieties around the world of violet garlic. In Georgia they have Metechi and Bogatyr. In Russia there is the Red and Purple Russian garlic. There’s the Spanish Roja in Spain which is an heirloom variety and the Duganski, Mexican, Korean, Yugoslavian and the French purple/violet garlic.
Cadours Village Hall
In Cadour the villages in the immediate area grow, promote and sell the garlic. Cadour is located within the department of the Haute-Garonne in the Occitanie region. In the past, there were two villages, two churches and two cemeteries at the current location of Cadours.
The village of St Hilaire which extended from the square of the fort (where a castle sat) to the current cemetery. The houses are older on this side. Created after 1318, it gradually disappeared. The church of St Hilaire was destroyed in 1890.
Notre Dame de la Vie from the end of the 18th century. The cemetery of Notre Dame de Vie, north of the current church, was no longer used from 1794. There are very few houses left from this time for what was this other village.
Cadours Violet Garlic is characterised by its purple tunic with blueish purple lines. The bulb is large and has a very round shape. The cloves are large, ivory-coloured and have a very distinct flavour, sometimes with faint blueish purple lines. The violet garlic is usually a more uniformed and medium sized garlic. The flavour is usually spicer than other garlic varieties.
Ail Rose de Lautrec
Purple garlic contains protein, vitamins, cellulose, phosphorus, iron, calcium, and other mineral nutrients. The purple garlic contains antioxidants. It’s also said that violet garlic has more antibacterial properties than white garlic.
The last weekend of August in Cadour is a time of celebration as the town and producers from the region gather to celebrate garlic with their very own garlic festival.
Louis Felix Diat a French-American chef and culinary writer who it is also believed created vichyssoise soup during his time at the Ritz hotel in Paris said about garlic.
“Without Garlic I simply would not care to live”