Is Garlic a Spice?

[Never]

Oddly specific culinary question.

My mother has a garlic allergy and it's laborious to find foods or prepare meals for her that won't make her ill. I picked up a can of Old Bay last night and its ingredient list is thus:

Celery Salt (salt, celery seed), Spices (including red pepper and black pepper), and Paprika.

I don't consider garlic a spice, but I've seen garlic powder in the spice section of many a supermarket aisle. I want to add this to my flour for some thai fried chicken I'm cooking this evening but am unsure if garlic may be lurking in the mixture.

Does anyone know?

 

[parodyluvr75]

https://m.facebook.com/oldbay/posts/10151253468633254

 

[Que]

Oddly specific culinary question.

My mother has a garlic allergy and it's laborious to find foods or prepare meals for her that won't make her ill. I picked up a can of Old Bay last night and its ingredient list is thus:



I don't consider garlic a spice, but I've seen garlic powder in the spice section of many a supermarket aisle. I want to add this to my flour for some thai fried chicken I'm cooking this evening but am unsure if garlic may be lurking in the mixture.

Does anyone know?

I think a spice can be anything you want it to be. I consider garlic like onions and shallots.

Lots of seasoning blends contain garlic powder, I dunno if they call it a "spice." I think since it is rarely subtle enough not to be apparent they tend to not make garlic one of the "mystery" proprietary ingredients.

Let me go read some labels and scent for garlic.

Does it smell garlic-y to you?

 

[Never]

https://m.facebook.com/oldbay/posts/10151253468633254

That solves tonight's dilemma. My thanks.

Do you know about the general inquiry? I've come across many foods with the innocuous 'spices' listed in the ingredients and would like to know if I need to check them all for bear traps.

 

[1sickbastard]

Oddly specific culinary question.

My mother has a garlic allergy and it's laborious to find foods or prepare meals for her that won't make her ill. I picked up a can of Old Bay last night and its ingredient list is thus:



I don't consider garlic a spice, but I've seen garlic powder in the spice section of many a supermarket aisle. I want to add this to my flour for some thai fried chicken I'm cooking this evening but am unsure if garlic may be lurking in the mixture.

Does anyone know?

I believe it is considered a spice in most cases.

 

[parodyluvr75]

That solves tonight's dilemma. My thanks.

Do you know about the general inquiry? I've come across many foods with the innocuous 'spices' listed in the ingredients and would like to know if I need to check them all for bear traps.

Garlic is used in a lot of preparations, I think. You can do what that lady did and contact them directly and ask. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Never]

I think a spice can be anything you want it to be. I consider garlic like onions and shallots.

I am rather sure food labeling does not work that way.

Lots of seasoning blends contain garlic powder...

As someone who's gone through an entire aisle's worth of sauces, pastes, blends, dressings, and dips in a store and failed to find a single one without garlic or onion added, I am all too aware of this.

Does it smell garlic-y to you?

The level of garlic needed to make my mother ill is far below my ability to scent it out. Sniffing it gives me a strong celery smell as well as the earthy paprika smell while the red pepper makes my nose itch inside.

 

[marshalt]

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/Garlic.htm

So, what is garlic? Is it an herb? A spice? The truth is, it's neither. The word herb denotes something green, whether the leaves or stems of some sort of plant. The word spice indicates any other item, including roots, bark, seeds and so on, but specifically in the dried form. Garlic really doesn't fit either one of those categories.

So it's probably most accurate to call garlic a vegetable, even though it's hardly ever eaten on its own. In this sense garlic is most similar to onions and shallots, although ultimately garlic belongs in a category all its own.

 

[Lorilei]

Garlic's in pretty much everything. If you can't verify every single ingredient, assume there's garlic in it.

 

[Que]

Ok...I mostly use individual spices but the three blends I found in the bunk-house is my favorite Cavender's, basic Morton's Season-all and McCormick's Cajun.

All had garlic, All listed the garlic. Interesting for your query is the wording. They all mentioned it out of direct context of 'spices.'

Cavendish listed it in a row with other things like onion powder then says "five other spices."

Morton actually took garlic out of the brackets Spices: (including.... and ....) and listed it separately as if not a spice. Like with maltodextrin.

McCormick also broke it out, said spices including: (......) then listed the garlic powder separate.

Because I didn't like seafood at the time (I lived in Maine then) my palate memory of old bay is not favorable but I do not remember it being garlic tasting.

Someone else mentioned it the other day on fries? It is on my "Try it as an adult' list.

I think since some (strange) people do not like garlic that it is probably listed if it is in it. I had not heard of a garlic sensitivity before. Covey to your mom my deepest sympathies and my admiration that she can courageously live a life devoid of garlic.

 

[Que]

I am rather sure food labeling does not work that way.

I agree a full disclosure label should have some standards, but I see "other spices" in "secret blends" all the time. I dunno, can that include dryer lint?

It sounds like you have have a good nose, can you add single spices that you just described and create your own blend?

It looks like Marshalt has the answer on what can be a "spice." Maybe.

ETA; Didn't see this was asked and answered in post two whilst I was typing post three. nevermind...

 

[cjh]

It's an allium. A bulbous plant.

Just like onions, shallots, and chives.

 

[SolarHomo]

All I know is that it's hell on vampires. Is your mother a vampire?

 

[BotanyBoy]

If it's dried it's a spice...if it's not it's a vegetable, ova if you want to get more specific just like most non leafy green veggies and practically all fruit/berries/nuts.

Though the differences and classifications get crazy....strawberries, blackberries, raspberries are not berries. But bananas and watermelons are etc etc the classifications are fucking endless and not at all intuitive.

http://media.giphy.com/media/Pn92xK1AC4l2M/giphy.gif

Yup..that's real talk right there.

 

[silver gurl]

It's an allium. A bulbous plant.

Just like onions, shallots, and chives.

Agree. They all grow the same way.

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

Did someone mention flavoring/ flavouring ?

(They are not spiced, they are not herbed, they are flavoured.)

No, thank you. I do not desire to sample any of the onion cheddar flavoured crisps!

 

[Tryharder62]

I know this has nothing to do with the original question but I found the need to tell a garlic story. Make sure you know the difference between a clove of garlic and a bulb of garlic. I was making a fish recipe when I was first married and it called for a clove of garlic and I used a bulb. The smell of garlic and fish were very potent for a while in my house. So this is just a public service announcement.

 

[Never]

I went to the Code of Federal Regulations website and it said this:

The term spice means any aromatic vegetable substance in the whole, broken, or ground form, except for those substances which have been traditionally regarded as foods, such as onions, garlic and celery; whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutritional; that is true to name; and from which no portion of any volatile oil or other flavoring principle has been removed. Spices include the spices listed in 182.10 and part 184 of this chapter, such as the following...

I also checked the spice list in 182.10 and 184, and neither garlic nor onion were included.

So no, garlic isn't a spice and anything listed as 'spices' doesn't included garlic in the USA.

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

Seasoning ?

 

[BotanyBoy]

I went to the Code of Federal Regulations website and it said this:



I also checked the spice list in 182.10 and 184, and neither garlic nor onion were included.

So no, garlic isn't a spice and anything listed as 'spices' doesn't included garlic in the USA.

And the federal codes are all that matters on product labeling....if they lie you can fuck that company up. You should be safe or paid, good luck!

 

[pointless]

damnit. my genius idea to google garlic food labelling was too late. oh well.

and this is why we read the whole thread first.

 

[Saint Peter]

Garlic is not a spice.

Garlic is a way of life.

 

[warrior queen]

Garlic is not a spice.

Garlic is a way of life.

Absolutely!
I cannot imagine not being able to use garlic

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

I went to the Code of Federal Regulations website and it said this:



I also checked the spice list in 182.10 and 184, and neither garlic nor onion were included.

So no, garlic isn't a spice and anything listed as 'spices' doesn't included garlic in the USA.

There's a regulation for everything...

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

Garlic is not a spice.

Garlic is a way of life.

Single much?