Laba garlic usually refers to garlic pickled in vinegar. The finished product is green in color and tastes sour and slightly spicy. Because it is usually pickled on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, it is called "Laba garlic". [1]

Soaked Laba Garlic is a traditional snack mainly popular in northern China, especially in North China. It is a custom during the Laba Festival. Make garlic on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. In fact, the ingredients are very simple, just vinegar and garlic cloves.

The method is also extremely simple. Put the peeled garlic cloves into a container such as a jar or bottle that can be sealed, then pour vinegar into it, seal it and put it in a cold place. Slowly, the garlic soaked in vinegar will turn green, and eventually it will become completely green, like emerald jasper. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in northern China, the New Year atmosphere becomes more intense day by day. In most areas of northern China, there is a custom of soaking garlic in vinegar on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is called Laba garlic.

1. Ingredients

To make Laba garlic, you only need three ingredients, garlic, rice vinegar and fine sugar.

First choose the garlic. There are two types of common garlic on the market: purple-skinned garlic and white-skinned garlic. White can be used, but purple is better. Relatively speaking, purple-skinned garlic tastes slightly crisper after being soaked into Laba garlic. Of course, the difference between the two is not too big. If you are not particularly picky, you can use either one.

Next, it’s rice vinegar. Note that it is rice vinegar, it is easier to soak the green Laba garlic.

There is nothing to say about fine sugar. Any white sugar commonly used at home will do.

2. Method

1. Cut off the root of the garlic with a knife, then break it into individual pieces, peel off the skin, clean it and put it in a cool place to dry for a while to make the surface dry.

(After cutting off a little of the root of the garlic, this cut will help the garlic cloves absorb the juice of rice vinegar. The larger the contact surface between garlic and vinegar, the faster the vinegar can penetrate and the garlic can be soaked faster. In addition, the garlic must be kept dry and does not need to be washed. The peeled garlic must also be hygienic to ensure that it is not stained with oil or raw water)

2. Put the processed garlic cloves into clean, oil-free bags in a water-free, sealable container. (The container can be a bottle, a jar or something else, but it must be oil-free, water-free and sealable)

3. Pour in enough rice vinegar to cover all the garlic, add a spoonful of fine sugar, and close the lid. After sealing, shake thoroughly.