From this source:
Since the ancient times, Garlic has been used as a valuable condiment for foods in India. It has also been used quite extensively as a popular remedy for various ailments and psychological disorders. Garlic has a special mention in the Hindu mythology. According to Hindu mythology, the gods and the demons once churned the sea, using earth as the axis and divine snake Basuki as the rope. Many precious materials came out due to churning of the sea. Along with the materials, a pot of nectar also came out and consuming the nectar was believed to have capacity to make one immortal. The gods and demons fought against each other for this pot and eventually, the gods took possession of the pot. The King of gods, Indra took the pot to heaven for distributing to gods. However, he first offered it to his wife Sachi, before distributing to others. After consuming it, Sachi could not digest the nectar and thus vomited. A drop of her vomit fell from heaven on the earth and a small plant emerged from that drop. This plant is known as Garlic. According to Hindu Mythology, Garlic is foul smelling because it had emerged from vomit. The mythology also mentioned that Garlic has several medicinal virtues, as it had emerged from heavenly nectar.The website from which this erudite quote comes also has translations for the word garlic into many of the languages of India. The fact that there are so many names is tribute to the importance and distribution of this heavenly flavoring.
When I was in India the fresh garlic we purchased in the market was very small. Each clove of garlic was tiny. That meant that using this mini-garlic took a great deal of time to prepare. Garlic was also available pre-cleaned in bottles and plastic containers. We wound up using that form of garlic to save time. Although we saved time, we lost flavor. Garlic out of bottles just doesn't match the taste of fresh garlic.
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