What is a clove of garlic?

Question

If a recipe calls for 8 whole cloves of garlic, does it mean 8 whole garlics? Or does it mean 8 of the wedges?

This question just naturally begs for a photo in the best answer. — DarenW, Apr 07 '15 at 21:35
When the recipe says "whole", it may mean to keep each clove whole i.e. not sliced or chopped or minced. — Vince Bowdren, Nov 02 '20 at 19:53

score 65 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 06 '15 at 21:27

65

Each "wedge" is a clove. The entire garlic is called a "head".

answered Apr 06 '15 at 21:27

moscafj

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The heads are also sometimes called bulbs. – Joe Apr 06 '15 at 22:03
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And, let's face it, they are not all that standard, so a degree of common sense and how much you like garlic need to be applied to recipes that are written this way, or the results will be very different with large or small cloves... – Ecnerwal Apr 06 '15 at 22:39
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It may be easier to remember this distinction if you realize that the word "clove", as applied to a "wedge" of garlic, comes from the same root as the verb "cleave" (and the corresponding participle "cloven", meaning "split" or "divided"). – Ilmari Karonen Apr 07 '15 at 08:24
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It's very important not to mix this up! While at college one of my flatmates made a spag bol using 2 bulbs rather than 2 wedges. Not to be repeated :) – Fetchez la vache Apr 07 '15 at 09:36
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@IlmariKaronen but of course not from the same root as the verb "cleave" meaning "cling, adhere or stick fast to something" ... – AakashM Apr 07 '15 at 10:19
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@Fetchezlavache I had to search for "spag bol" to find that it meant "spaghetti bolognese." Now the mental picture is complete. :) – mskfisher Apr 07 '15 at 14:22
Apologies mskfisher :) – Fetchez la vache Apr 07 '15 at 14:25
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Related: if you're using it for a recipe, a clove of garlic produces about a teaspoon of minced garlic. – jvriesem Apr 07 '15 at 16:06
@Fetchezlavache, a friend of mine made that mistake for at least a year and was amazed that his friends never came for dinner twice. (He turned into a great cook later.) – Willeke Nov 01 '20 at 14:24

score 13 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 13 '18 at 01:29

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For easy reference , I am posting the picture directly here. Reference : LINK

answered Aug 13 '18 at 01:29

Number945

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The strings also come one bulb wide in a plastic mesh. – Wayfaring Stranger Aug 13 '18 at 22:15

What is a clove of garlic?

2 Answers2