The man sat in a corner of the market, kneading and dismembering bunches of garlic

Just like in other markets, I came across a shop here that specialized in garlic. Seated in a corner of the market, a man surrounded by large baskets overflowing with garlic was quietly tending to his goods. This scene makes it clear that garlic is a staple in Indian markets and a high-demand commodity.

However, seeing such an abundance of garlic might lead one to assume that Indians consume it in enormous quantities. Surprisingly, that's not the case. The country with the highest per capita garlic consumption is actually China, where the average person consumes a staggering 14.3 kilograms annually. Following China are South Korea (6.2 kilograms), Bangladesh (2.6 kilograms), Russia (2.2 kilograms), and Indonesia (1.8 kilograms). Notably, India doesn't even make it into the top five.

Yet, India ranks as the world’s second-largest producer of garlic. This intriguing disparity suggests that much of the garlic produced is likely destined for export. While garlic is indeed a vital ingredient in Indian cuisine, with its generous use of spices, domestic consumption alone doesn’t seem to account for the sheer scale of production.

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