Something that You CAN’T Find in Chinatown

Laba Garlic is a traditional style of vinegar preserved garlic. Laba Garlic is a side dish that is popular in the northern region of China. La Ba means the eighth day on the last month of the year according to the Lunar Calendar. Starting from this day, people begin to prepare for Chinese New Year. On this day, traditionally, we suppose to make La Ba porridge or congee with eight different kinds of rice, beans, and some dried goods. We also suppose to make Laba Garlic on that day.

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The procedures and ingredients required for Laba Garlic are very simple. Simply peel off the skin from the garlic and make sure they are fresh and good quality. Then, prepare a clean glass jar with no oil or water inside. Put all the garlic cloves into the jar and pure in dark Chinese vinegar all the way to the top and seal it well. Let it sit next to the window and make sure the jar is able to expose to the sunlight. About two weeks later, the garlic will turn green and we call it Laba Garlic. The vinegar will have the spiciness from the garlic and we call it Laba vinegar.

Generally, we open the Laba Garlic on the New Year’s Eve and eat the Laba Garlic with the dumplings and the Laba vinegar is the best dipping sauce for the dumplings. Below are some pictures of the Laba Garlic that I made in the U.S. So far, I haven’t seen anywhere in the U.S. sales Laba Garlic and I believe this is something you can hardly find in Chinatown.