Day 258 – The Stinking Rose

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258/365 (September 15, 2010) – I love garlic any time of year, but there is something about the cooler air as we get into September, and creep towards Fall, that just seems to make it even better.

I’m not sure why garlic is called the “Stinking Rose” since it’s actually a member of the lily family, not of the rose family. The “stinking” part makes sense…but “rose”? Maybe it’s because roses can have a strong fragrance and so does garlic…just “stinky”?

Apparently the ancient Greek name for garlic was scorodon. A French physician (Henri Leclerc) derived this from skaion rodon which he translated as rose puante, or “stinking rose”. Maybe that’s all it is, a mis-translation?

I don’t know.

Either way, fresh garlic is a staple in our cupboard. It’s a serious breach of kitchen provisioning when we are down to one lonely head.