Lautrec Pink Garlic facts for kids
Lautrec Pink Garlic is a special type of garlic that only grows in a specific part of southern France. It's famous for its pretty pink color and amazing taste.
This garlic is so unique that it has earned special labels to protect its quality. In 1966, it received the French Label Rouge (Red Label), which is a sign of top quality. Since June 12, 1996, it has also been protected by the European Union with a protected geographical indication (PGI). This PGI label, called ail rose de Lautrec, guarantees that the garlic is genuinely from the Lautrec region and grown using traditional methods.
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What Makes Lautrec Garlic Special?
Lautrec Pink Garlic isn't like the usual white garlic you see in the store. It has several features that make it stand out.
A Unique Look and Taste
The most obvious feature is the color of its cloves, which have a beautiful pinkish skin, called a tunica. This garlic also has a strong, delicious flavor that is more subtle and sweet than other types of garlic.
One of its best qualities is that it can be stored for a very long time. After being harvested, it's dried for at least 15 days. This long drying process allows it to stay fresh all the way until the next spring without sprouting.
A Special Way to Grow and Bundle It
Unlike most garlic, the Lautrec variety has a hard, stiff stalk that grows right through the center of the bulb. Because the stalk is rigid, the garlic can't be braided together for sale. Instead, farmers tie the garlic into round bunches called "manouilles," which you can see in the picture.
To make the garlic bulbs grow bigger and more flavorful, farmers perform a special task early in the growing season. They cut off the flower stalk before it blooms. This process sends all the plant's energy down into the bulb, making it taste even better.
Where Does It Grow?
True Lautrec Pink Garlic can only be grown in a specific area in the Tarn department of France. This region was chosen because of its long history of growing this garlic and its perfect environment.
The official production zone includes 88 local communities, known as communes. The area has rich clay and limestone soils and gets water from the Agout and Dadou rivers. This unique combination of soil and climate helps give the garlic its special taste.
The Legend of the Pink Garlic
How did pink garlic first come to Lautrec? A local legend from the Middle Ages tells a fun story.
The story goes that a traveling merchant stopped at a tavern in Lautrec for a meal. When it was time to pay, he realized he had no money. Instead, he paid the tavern owner with some strange-looking pink garlic cloves he was carrying. The tavern owner was curious and decided to plant them. They grew so well that pink garlic soon became famous throughout the region, and it's been grown there ever since!
