Coronavirus kills toxic Chinese garlic trade in Kolkata

Feb 28, 2020, KOLKATA: One scare from China has led to a clampdown on a health hazard from the same country. The embargo on Chinese produce worldwide that has followed the COVID-19 outbreak in mainland China has cut off the supply lines of toxic Chinese garlic, which was being rampantly sold and consumed in Kolkata till recently.

Bleached in chlorine and fumigated in bromide-laced pesticide, Chinese garlic is carcinogenic and toxic. But demand for the variety is high in the local market because of its unblemished appearance and large cloves. The largeness makes peeling easy, which matters in commercial segments like restaurants and catering, where garlic is used in bulk. Many homemakers, too, prefer the Chinese variety over the Indian one for its ease of use.

The commerce ministry did impose a ban on the import and sale of Chinese garlic five years ago, but the variety continued to find its way in and retailed at all major civic and private markets in the city. That was until the news of the novel coronavirus broke and the garlic disappeared from the shelves, said Dilip Kumar Mondal, who sells garlic, onion and potato at the Gariahat market.

“The garlic was arriving through grey channels, and grocers were selling it to meet the demand. But, with the abundance of the local variety, retailers reduced their stock of Chinese garlic, even before its supply ceased,” pointed out Kamal Dey, West Bengal Vendors’ Association secretary.

Food technologists say eatting Chinese garlic could have major health consequences.

‘Health hazards include changes in metabolic rate’

According to Prashanta Kumar Biswas, associate professor at Jadavpur University’s food technology and biochemical engineering department, the garlic is sprayed with a fungicide that contains methyl bromide to prevent fungal growth for at least six months.

According to Pradhanta Kumar Biswas, the germ plasma that has been genetically developed to yield large garlic cloves has a dirty white or greyish-brown colour. The cloves are therefore bleached with chlorine to make them white and attractive. While bleaching kills insects, prevents sprouting and helps whiten the bulb, chlorine is a carcinogen.

“Both methyl bromide and chlorine get absorbed in the garlic and lead to formation of neurotoxins,” said Biswas. “Health hazards include changes in the body’s metabolic rate and disruption of pH control system in the stomach. To prevent sprouting, chemicals are used. We don’t know whether hormonal treatment happens as well. That would be further harmful,” he added.

Utpal Roychowdhury, head of the food sciences technology department at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, pointed out that a Chinese garlic would also not have the beneficial effect that normal garlic has: allicin, a compound present in garlic that is believed to control blood pressure and act as a natural antibiotic and increase the body’s immunity, is present in very low levels in the Chinese variety.

Until the supply dried up, most consumers were blissfully unaware that the attractive-looking garlic is harmful. In fact, in many markets, retailers even suggested that the variety was beneficial to health. Kaberi Banerjee, who shops at New Market, said she was given to believe the garlic with large cloves was healthier, apart from being more convenient to use. “Had I known they contain chemicals, I would not have touched them. The variety is popular simply because it is convenient. Peeling one clove of that garlic is equivalent to peeling 10 cloves of the regular Indian variety,” she said.

Samir Kumar Banerjee, a general physician who lives in Kasba and shops at Gariahat and Lake Market, didn’t know the variety he was buying was of Chinese origin. “I thought they were a hybrid variety developed in India,” he said.

How To Make Throw Everything In Soup

This is a very basic clear soup, but one that is nourishing and always welcoming on a cold day. Use your imagination and innovation and make it whatever you want it to be!”

Vegetables: Broccoli, iceberg lettuce, radish, carrot, tomato, potato, coriander, beans

Other Ingredients: Salt, pepper, lemon and cornflour

Procedure: Clean the vegetables and segregate them. Chop the vegetables and boil them in a vessel with water for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper for taste. Add coriander and lemon. Add a bit of cornflour for some body and take it off the stove. Serve hot.

Colocasia leaves

If you’re driving to mangaluru from Bengaluru, past the ghat section, you’ll notice these large leaves growing in abundance, ‘says Abhilash Mithren. They are not meant to be eaten raw, but can be used to make snacks like patrode or pathravade, a popular evening snacks in Konkani cuisine. Wash the leaves thoroughly, and remove the large veins, he says. “Stuff with a mixture of soaked rice, coconut, juggery, taramrind, red chillies and hing; layer the leaves , roll and steam for 30 minutes. Slice and serve when cooled, “he continues. They can also be shallow-fried after streaming for a crisp monsoon snacks.

The lotus eaters

It’s the season fornadurin Srinagar. Glide down theDal in ashikaraand join the jolly lotus stem diggers,perched on boats and foraging for dinner this season is all about the lotus stem, known as nadur or nadroo in local parlance. It has an enviable place in the otherwise meat-rich Kashmiri cuisine. I’m out on these waters foraging for nadur that will be put to good use for dinner.

Of all the dishes prepared with the lotus stem (it is not the root) nadur yakhni is the star. Slices of it are cooked in curd with a hint of aromatic spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove and fennel. The pot remains on the fire till thenadur gets tender, but retains a bite, and the curd surrenders its tartness to transform it into a smooth curry. A flavoursome dish that’s subtle and full-bodied, it’s become a favourite ever since I savoured it at a Kashmiri friend’s place. Served simply with small-grain steamed rice, it spells celebration on the plate. The nadur is also tossed into spinach ( palak nadur ), deep-fried as fritters (nadur monji ) and cooked with fish ( gaad nadur ).

When we cross the halfway mark, Nabi speeds up towards a group of men perched on the edge of their boats. “The lotus-stem diggers,” he exclaims triumphantly. This is a set of jolly old men who make their craft appear effortless, as they plunge a hooked staff into swampy waters, dig around with it for a bit, give it a tug and pull it up with a lotus stem securely held by the hook. To me, it seems as thrilling as angling. I attempt it, but realise there are more chances of me toppling into the water than a nadur popping out.

After a gap of three years, there is an abundance of nadur again, which was wiped out from the Dal Lake following the floods of 2014. “I’m back at collecting around 200 stems a day,” smiles Ali Mohammad, one of the diggers, adding, “The texture, size and flavour of the Dal nadur is unmatchable. There arewazas (cooks) who will only use this nadur and nothing else.”

I pick up a whole lot. Some will go into a yakhni tonight and the rest I’ll take home.