Garlic (Allium sativum) is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South and Central Asia and northeastern Iran, and has long been used as a seasoning worldwide, with a history of several thousand years of human consumption and use. It was known to ancient Egyptians and has been used as both a food flavoring and a traditional medicine. China produces 76% of the world's supply of garlic. In the United States, a major source of garlic is California's Central Valley, with Gilroy and Fresno hosting notable concentrations of plantations.
Garlic is present in the folklore of many cultures. In Europe, many cultures have used garlic for protection or white magic, perhaps owing to its reputation in folk medicine. Central European folk beliefs considered garlic a powerful ward against demons, werewolves, and vampires. To ward off vampires, garlic could be worn, hung in windows, or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes.
When Zoltan Nagy tried to get into the room Laszlo Kovacs shared with Rip, they hammered a spike into his heart and Rip threw a clove of garlic down his throat, killing the vampire.
The thecology of the Sandwich Islands had been greatly damaged by medvamps by the late 20th century. When David Fisher recounted this to a protestor who opposed aerial garlic spraying, the latter said he didn't care about the Sandwich Islands, and would rather live with medvamps than have his back yard turn into an Italian deli.[1]
A talking cat approached Clever Rolf because of his reputation for solving problems. The cat wanted Clever Rolf to help it determine whether it was a vampire, explaining it had been bitten in the neck by something two weeks before, and it had not felt right since. When the cat promised to share information with him in exchange for his help, Clever Rolf took the cat to his home, and asked it various questions about its condition. The cat had no definitive answers; most of its own natural behaviors were consistent with symptoms of vampirism. However, when Clever Rolf produced a garlic clove and broke it open with a loud bang, the cat leaped out the window, leaving Clever Rolf to ponder whether the smell or the noise had driven the cat off.
The next day, a mirror test proved that the cat was not a vampire, meaning that the garlic had been a false alarm.
A Lokrian vampire, sailing on the Gamemeno, attempted to prey on fellow passengers Otto of Schlepsig and Max of Witte. He tricked them into giving him permission to enter their room, but was overcome by the smell of the garlic which the two men had consumed on their mutton, and fled. The next morning, Otto and Max asked Captain Tasos to secure the vampire, so Tasos had members of his crew perform a warding spell on the coffin, and place roses and garlic on it.[2]
Later in the voyage, the ship was attacked by a sea serpent. Possibly attracted by the garlic, the serpent seized the coffin and swallowed it whole - vampire, chains, roses, garlic, and all.[3]
Garlic was a safeguard against the blood-sucking tsaldaris monsters of the southern continent. Relander, a member of Baron Toivo's zoological expedition, was skeptical, and so did not rub himself with garlic before entering his bedroll as some teammates had done.
The next morning, the other sages found that Relander had been bitten and turned into a tsaldaris himself. When the sun hit him, he withered up and turned into a withered corpse. To ensure he remained dead, the expedition pounded a stake through his heart and a cook placed a clove of garlic under his tongue.
Father Giuseppe, a deacon in the Order of the Pipistrelle, escorted the newly-ascended Pope Benedict XVI to meet Jesus, the vampire imprisoned in St. Peter's, so Jesus could feed upon Benedict's blood. Giuseppe took special precautions, including eating a substantial amount of garlic, to prevent Jesus from killing Benedict.