Chefs are taking advantage of its tangy, subtle flavor to add a savory elegance to their dishes; black garlic is similar to roasted garlic in texture, making it easy to blend into sauces and spreads.

The visually stunning, onyx-colored cloves start life as heads of conventional garlic. The heads are subjected to a three-week aging process, where the bulbs sit in humid conditions and low heat and are eventually caramelized, transformed by the same Maillard reaction that gives browned meat its deep flavor. The sugars and amino acids produce melanoidin in the process, turning the garlic black.