CORNUCOPIA
Govt moves over garlic draw sharp criticism
Garlic lovers raise a stink over the state’s plan to get a noodle chain to purchase excess supply.
Three weeks ago, a report was published by the Commerce Ministry addressing the drop in garlic prices in the North. It explained the ministry had contacted noodle chain Chai See Mee Kiew to buy more garlic to make the krathiam jiew (deep fried garlic) that tops their dishes.
The story surfaced in the media after farmers in the North received around seven tonnes of garlic, an increase of 10.6% for the harvest season. The excess supply of garlic thus caused the price to fall. The ministry responded by turning to the noodle chain to buy up its supply.
The ministry’s response was mocked for focusing on garlic use in noodle soup when the plant can be incorporated in any number of Thai dishes. The public was quick to call it out for failing to acknowledge that plenty of people cook at home, and those running restaurants are also affected by the pricing of the pungent plant. They buy garlic at around 80-100 baht per kilogramme, which is the range in which the product has been priced for a while now.
Avid garlic consumers are quite knowledgeable about the plant in its variety. For example, they know that China-grown garlic produces large bulbs and cloves, and has a subtler taste.
Garlic from Myanmar and Cambodia closely resembles that which is found in northern Thailand, producing both small bulbs and cloves. However, the colour of the skin is slightly different from Thai garlic, and has a far subtler smell.
Garlic grown in the North is recognisable by its tastiness, strong smell and pink skin. The type grown in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket has particularly small bulbs and cloves, and white skin. Many people opt for the Si Sa Ket-grown garlic, although its price is higher than other types, costing around 100-120 baht per kilogramme.
Garlic from China, Myanmar and Cambodia should be relatively cheap. But once it reaches Thai markets, the price leaps as the large importers of the product usually fix the price. These purchasers know when the season to import garlic is, where they can store the imported product and where they can ultimately distribute the product in Thai markets.
As they know everything about garlic, they can take advantage of its appeal on the market.
Let’s talk about how Thai garlic is grown. The vegetable is mainly grown in the North in areas like Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Song and Uttaradit. After harvesting rice crops, these farmers start growing garlic and red shallots as they yield very quickly. The harvesting season falls between February and March every year.
During this period, one can see garlic and red shallots tied up in bunches, hanging in the basement of farmers’ house, where they are dried before being sold.
Garlic and red shallots are the best-selling products for northern farmers. Everyone across the country wants a piece of their produce, which is tasty, high quality and comes with a strong signature smell.
To broaden their services, farmers have started processing pickled garlic cloves to sell them in markets in areas around the North, especially in Chiang Mai province.
Most readers will already know that northern people like eating fresh garlic with their food. Those who have visited Chiang Mai have likely eaten nam moo (sour pork, or salted and shredded pork, bound tightly with banana leaves and made slightly fermented) with fresh ginger, chilli, coriander, roasted peanuts and garlic.
Krathiam tone (a single clove garlic) accompanying this plate of nam moo will make the dish even more tasty, and won’t overpower the dish as it neither produces a strong smell nor is made with too much spice.
The North is facing increasing competition from an influx of products from China, which are popular for their large size. With its big bulbs and cloves, the garlic comes much easier to peel.
Buyers can be deterred by the Thai variety as the clove’s smallness makes it much harder to peel. When cooks want to mix it in curry paste, they must spend time laboriously peeling the clove. So the Chinese garlic is a popular choice for convenience’s sake.
Then there’s garlic from Si Sa Ket. The advantage of this type lies in its small bulb and clove, and strong smell and taste. It has white skin, and a shape that looks attractive and appetising.
But that’s not the end to challenges to northern garlic’s appeal. It continues to compete with single-clove garlic from China, which up until recently could not be found outside the country.
Garlic that comes in single cloves is rare and hard to grow, which explains why it is in high demand in the market.
Still, some farmers in the North have managed to get their hands on it. Locals enjoy making pickled single-clove garlic that they can sell at a high price.
So garlic has made its way to Thai kitchens through a range of routes.
When it comes to cooking with garlic, Thais like it with a strong smell and taste. However, they do not enjoy the task of peeling the plant beforehand.
Restaurant operators who use lots of garlic usually buy minced garlic from Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia at the fresh market. The minced garlic is sold by the kilogramme.
Noodle shop operators also tend to buy them like this to deep fry them immediately.
Those selling pla thod krathiam prik thai
(fried river fish with garlic and pepper) and food-to-order shops also use it.
Those who cook at home use both Thai garlic from the North and Si Sa Ket province for curry pastes.
However, many street vendors selling steamed rice with various types of curry now tend to use Chinese garlic as it is easier to peel, while those selling khao khao moo (stewed pork leg on rice) provide their customers with the Thai garlic and chilli.
They refrain from selling peeled garlic as some customers enjoy eating the skins.
The Chinese garlic with big cloves is only used in some dishes such as yum yod krathin
(tender tips of leadtree salad), yum thua plu
(wings bean spicy salad) and nam pla waan dok sadao pla duk yang (sweet and sour sauce eaten with grilled catfish and neem flower).
The Chinese clove will come out all peeled before it is finely sliced and fried. The result looks very appetising.
And so concludes our tour of different uses for garlic in Thai cooking.
In my view, garlic is an essential in any Thai kitchen. No matter how expensive it is, customers can’t help but be drawn to it. So the news of the drop in price should come as good news for garlic buyers.
But I disagree with the Commerce Ministry’s solution to dealing with the falling prices of garlic by asking Chai See Ba Mee Kiew to help buy the garlic.
Instead of this, the ministry should be thinking about how it will bring cheaper garlic to the masses so they can keep enjoying this pungent plant.