Chaling Purple-skin Garlic

Chaling Purple-skin Garlic

　　   Chaling Purple-skin Garlic gets its name from its purple skin and white flesh. It is a specialty variety of Chaling County in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, and along with ginger and angelica, is honored as one of Chaling’s “Three Treasures.” A local saying goes, “Add one clove of Chaling garlic to the pot, and all dishes become spicy; fry garlic in one home, and the aroma fills a hundred homes.” This garlic is a high-quality local variety that has been carefully selected and cultivated over many years. It is known for its large size, sturdy cloves, purple skin with white flesh, tight wrapping, strong spicy flavor, and high allicin content.

　　   Chaling Purple-skin Garlic

　　   Images of Chaling Purple-skin Garlic

　　   Garlic is a traditional branded agricultural product of Chaling, and one of its “Three Treasures.” It is famous both domestically and internationally for its large size, sturdy cloves, purple skin with white flesh, tight wrapping, and strong spicy flavor. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chaling garlic was considered so high quality that it was listed as a tribute product. In the 1950s, it was exhibited at the National Agricultural Exhibition. In the 1980s, it received the “Hunan Provincial Quality Agricultural Product Certificate.” Chaling is the main garlic-producing area in Hunan Province. In 1935, the county planted 10,000 mu of garlic, accounting for 37.94% of the total garlic-growing area in the province, with a total yield of 1,500 tons—44.92% of the provincial total. Of this, 500 tons were sold to Hubei, Guangdong, and Southeast Asian regions. By 1947, the garlic planting area had increased to 13,000 mu, with a total yield of 2,125 tons and exports of 995 tons. From the 1950s to the late 1970s, the garlic planting area and yield in Chaling dropped significantly, but gradually recovered in the following years, reaching an annual planting area of 3,500 mu and a total yield of around 500 tons. In recent years, thanks to government support, the annual planting area has reached approximately 25,000 mu, with a total garlic bulb yield of about 5,000 tons.

　　   The widely recognized origin of Chaling garlic is Lushui Town, home to the famous “Longxi Garlic.” Lushui is located in the mountainous northwest of the county, deep within the Luoxiao Mountain Range. The area was remote and had extremely poor transportation in the past. However, the garlic produced here was known for its large size, sturdy cloves, purple skin with white flesh, tight wrapping, and strong spicy flavor. It became a prized variety for cultivation elsewhere.

　　   Legend has it that one summer, there was a severe drought. Chi Songzi accompanied Emperor Yan, Shennong, to gather herbs on Luling Mountain in Chaling. Unable to bear the intense heat, he fell ill with dysentery upon returning. Shennong prepared a medicinal herb for him, and after taking it for two days, his illness was cured. Chi Songzi asked what the herb was called, and Shennong replied that it had not yet been named. Chi Songzi examined the plant closely and noticed a “head” at the tail and another at the base. He thus named the herb “Double Head,” which later evolved into “Garlic Head,” and was eventually shortened to “Garlic.” To this day, the eastern foothills of Luling Mountain still retain the place name Yaotang (later evolved into Yutang), where the most famous garlic is grown.

　　   Chaling Purple-skin Garlic gets its name from its purple skin and white flesh. It is a local specialty variety of Chaling and, along with ginger and angelica, is honored as one of Chaling’s “Three Treasures.” A local saying goes, “Add one clove of Chaling garlic to the pot, and all dishes become spicy; fry garlic in one home, and the aroma fills a hundred homes.” This garlic is a high-quality local variety that has been carefully selected and cultivated over many years. It is known for its large size, sturdy cloves, purple skin with white flesh, tight wrapping, strong spicy flavor, and high allicin content. In 1986 and 1992, it was awarded the Hunan Provincial First Quality Agricultural Product Certificate and the Provincial Quality Product Silver Award, respectively. The main producing areas are distributed across towns such as Huju, Pingshui, Lushui, Sicong, Mijiang, and Chengguan. The main products are green garlic and garlic bulbs, harvested between December and February, and April to May, respectively.