Dali Single-Clove Garlic

Dali Single-Clove Garlic

Dali Single-Clove Garlic is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　The history of garlic cultivation in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture dates back a long time, with garlic grown in all counties, especially in Midu County, Eryuan County, and Binchuan County. As early as the Ming Dynasty, Xu Xiake’s travelogue recorded the garlic-growing history of the present-day Yousu area in Eryuan County, noting that “the fields in the lake are very fertile, and the garlic grown there is as big as a fist with a unique flavor.” Records from the Kangxi, Yongzheng, Daoguang, and Guangxu eras of the Qing Dynasty in the Yunnan Dali local chronicles' sections on local products also mention garlic. However, in the past, due to the constraints of a self-sufficient natural economy, farmers only planted garlic sporadically, and the commercial volume was small. After the nationwide implementation of the vegetable system reform in 1984, which focused on gradually liberalizing production and sales, the scale of “transporting southern vegetables to the north” expanded year by year. Garlic cultivation evolved from scattered plots to concentrated, contiguous fields. In 1992, the advanced technique of “early sprouting” for purple-skinned garlic, which had been proven successful in trials, began to be widely adopted in large-scale production. This technique advanced the harvest period of garlic sprouts and bulbs by 40–50 days, and resulted in single-clove garlic that is convenient to eat, of good quality, and larger in size. The single-clove rate during cultivation generally ranges from 30%–40%, and can reach as high as 70%–80%. The yield of Dali Single-Clove Garlic is typically 800–1000 kilograms per 667 square meters. The large-sized, high-quality purple-skinned single-clove garlic is produced exclusively in this region in China.

　　Dali Single-Clove Garlic is a type of purple-skinned garlic. Its outer skin is purplish-red or light purplish-white, and the commercial garlic must have its rootlets and stem base removed. The garlic bulb is flat-round or round, not divided into cloves, and its structure is similar to a single clove of ordinary purple-skinned garlic, differing only in shape and size. Even after removing the outer skin, the fruit shape remains the same. The flesh is milky white, crisp in texture, uniformly colored, and has a spicy garlic flavor (spicier than that of white-skinned garlic) that turns slightly sweet, with a relatively strong aroma. Garlic bulbs are generally categorized by horizontal diameter into sizes of over 4 cm, 3–4 cm, 2–3 cm, and under 2 cm. Dali Single-Clove Garlic is large in size, high in quality, visually appealing, easy to peel, and has an edible rate about 5–10% higher than that of ordinary multi-clove garlic. For the same variety, those with neat appearance, cleanliness, no detached broken skin, uniform bulb size, consistent color, and no obvious defects (including broken tops, cracks, mechanical damage, sprouting, rot, off-odors, freezing damage, or pests and diseases) are preferred.

　　Dali Single-Clove Garlic is rich in allicin and garlic oil, and has thick, viscous garlic juice. The allicin it contains has anti-cancer, antibacterial, detoxifying, and sterilizing properties, as well as benefits such as strengthening the spleen, stimulating appetite, aiding digestion, and preventing disease. Quality indicators: allicin ≥1.20%, garlic oil ≥0.10%, total sugar ≥20.00%, protein ≥2.50%.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected geographic area for Dali Single-Clove Garlic is within Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The geographical coordinates are: 98°52′ to 101°03′ east longitude and 24°40′ to 26°42′ north latitude, covering a total area of 197,000 hectares. The production area spans 13,300 hectares, with an annual output of around 144,000 tons. It mainly involves seven counties and cities: Dali City, Midu County, Binchuan County, Eryuan County, Xiangyun County, Yongping County, and Heqing County, encompassing 43 townships.