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Thanks in large part to its distinctive, pow- erful odor, garlic has long been considered a source of protection against danger in many forms. Korean lore recommended consuming pickled garlic before walking through mountain paths, believing that it would ward off tigers. Ancient Greeks would place garlic atop a pile of stones at cross- roads in hopes that it would cause demons to lose their way, as well as hang braids of it around the room where a woman was giving birth to keep nefarious spirits at bay. King Henry IV of France bathed in garlic to keep evil specters from harming him. And throughout the early centuries of Mediter- ranean culture, women would carry garlic in their pockets to ward off the jealous energy of the “evil eye” against their children, a su- perstition that still carries on to this day. It’s Romania, though—the home to vam- pire mythos galore—where garlic does the most work toward repelling all things other- worldly. This is particularly true on the Night of the Vampires (November 29), a major folkloric holiday when, the story goes, the barrier between the supernatural world and visible world vanishes, allowing wick- ed ghosts and spirits to pass through. “On [this day], children in Transylvanian villages are told by their mothers to eat garlic in the morning and recite the following: ‘Garlic is shaped in the form of a cross; I have a cross on my forehead,’” writes Cherry. “The incan- tation is meant to ward off evil charms and spells that have been directed at the child.” Of course, garlic isn’t just the go-to de- fender against unnatural beings—it’s also lucky. Roman brides carried bouquets of garlic to symbolize fertility and longevity, while Hungarian jockeys rub their horses with garlic for luck before a race to this day. And when it comes to dreams, garlic is a major (mostly positive) subconscious sym- bol while you’re sleeping. “To dream that you are eating garlic denotes that you will discover hidden secrets, and to dream that there is garlic in the house is lucky,” writes Richard Folkard in his 1884 book, Plant Lore . But not every tradition sees garlic as a powerful force for good. The prophet Mo- hammed claimed that when Satan was cast out of the garden of Eden, garlic would spring up wherever he put his left foot, and onion wherever he put his right. His negative feelings toward garlic were so strong that he declared, “He who has eaten ... [raw] garlic … should not approach our mosque, because

the angels are offended by the strong smells that offend the children of Adam.” But for those who consider themselves garlic lovers, the bulbs might be just what you need to get better shut-eye. Superstition in Rajasthan, India, dictates that those who have nightmares should keep two or three garlic cloves under their pillows while sleep- ing to end the scary dreams. Feel free to try this out the next time you’re jolted awake at 2 a.m., and let me know how it goes. GARLIC IN POP CULTURE When it comes to food in books, on film and in the greater public consciousness, there are few ingredients that have found their way into a more central position in plot lines and story arcs than garlic, which—in many cases—becomes a character unto itself, revealing motives and helping mine emotions like a supporting cast member. “And most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath!” Nick Bottom declares in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream . “Paranoia’s the garlic in life’s kitchen, right? You can never have too much,” writes Thom- as Pynchon in his 2013 novel, Bleeding Edge . And in the 1988 Nobel Prize-winning novel, The Garlic Ballads , Mo Yan uses the 1987 Chinese “garlic glut” as background for a lyrical tale of love, greed and corrup- tion. But perhaps most famously, this stinking rose is well-known to horror movie enthusi- asts and Halloween costumers alike for re- pelling Transylvania’s palest blood-sucking villain: Count Dracula. Building from generations-old folklore and rituals, many featuring garlic necklaces and door garlands serving as protection from evil beings, Irish author Bram Stoker penned his Gothic horror novel Dracula in 1897, cementing garlic’s place as a tool on the side of the good guys against the un- dead. “Oh, Professor, I believe you are only put- ting up a joke on me. Why, these flowers are only common garlic,” says Stoker’s heroine Lucy when Professor Van Helsing attempts to adorn her room with garlic as protection from Count Dracula. “To my surprise, Van Helsing rose up and said with all his stern- ness, his iron jaw set and his bushy eyebrows meeting: ‘No trifling with me! I never jest!

“To dream that

you are eating

garlic denotes

that you will

discover hidden

secrets , and

to dream that

there is garlic

in the house is

lucky .”

- Richard Folkard, Plant Lore , 1884

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