Where does garlic come from?

Garlic comes from the garlic plant Allium sativum, which is a perennial that belongs to the Lily family of plants and is closely related to chives, onions and leeks. The bulbs produced by garlic plants contain small cloves that can be white, off-white or purple/pink in color.

Garlic originated in Central Asia and has been used as a food and medicine by many different cultures for over 5,000 years. Garlic is used around the world and is produced in large amounts by countries such as South Korea, China, Spain, India and the United States. Powdered, dried and fresh forms of garlic can be found year round in grocery stores and markets.