Nubia red garlic

Flavour and colour are wonderfully intertwined.

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A dominant ingredient in Sicilian cuisine, and indeed western cuisine in general, garlic is an almost alchemical ingredient in recipes with unmistakable flavours, where its strong smell and aroma help define theidentity of a dish.

Home of the best garlic in Sicily is the small hamlet of Nubia, which boasts a place on the list of traditional Italian food products (PAT) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mipaaf) thanks to its highly prized red garlic. Since 2002, this garlic has is also been a Slow Food Presidium, which recognises the gastronomic excellence of a small-scale production as well as ensuring biodiversity, as cultivation takes place according to traditional methods that have been maintained over time. With its distinctive taste, smell and nutritional characteristics, this precious bulb adds an unmistakable touch to the recipes in which it is used.

The highly prized quality of this garlic derives from the special soil in which it is grown – that of the Saline di Trapani e Paceco nature reserve, which is characterised by its firm and clayey texture. It is grown in rotation, together with other excellent products from this area.

This produces a higher than average percentage of allicin of than other garlic crops, boosting the health benefits on the body.

Nubia garlic is sown in November and December (sometimes even in January) and is harvested fresh in May or June and partly dried in the fields.

Traditionally, an important part of its production is also the manual work of plaiting the bulbs into large braids, which are hung on balconies or placed in cellars or warehouses.