What Is Black Garlic?

Black garlic looks dramatic, but the idea is simple: ordinary garlic aged under controlled heat and humidity until the cloves turn soft, dark, and candy-savory.

It does not taste like roasted garlic. It leans toward molasses, balsamic, and umami. That makes it useful anywhere you want depth without more salt or more heat: sauces, dressings, compound butters, even a quiet finish on protein.

Start small. One clove can change a vinaigrette. Two can deepen a glaze. The point is not novelty for its own sake. It is remembering that the next ingredient can teach you a new move.