Garlic is a vegetable part of the onion family, alongside shallots, leeks, and chives. However, because it’s primarily used as a spice, garlic can sometimes be hard to classify.

Many cultures have used garlic for thousands of years due to its potent flavor and various health benefits.

You may cook with this ingredient at home, taste it in sauces, and eat it in dishes like pasta, stir-fries, and baked vegetables.

Keep reading to learn more about garlic’s botanical and culinary classification and the benefits of eating it.

Garlic is a vegetable in the botanical family of onions, known as Allium sativum. Other vegetables in this family include shallots, leeks, and chives.

A vegetable is any edible part of an herbaceous plant, such as the roots, leaves, stems, and bulbs.

Garlic comes from an edible plant with a bulb, tall stem, and long leaves. Therefore, it’s botanically considered a vegetable.

The bulb, comprised of 10 to 20 cloves, is most frequently eaten. It’s covered in a paper-like husk that’s typically removed before consumption. The leaves and flowers of the plant are also edible.

Garlic is used more like a spice or herb than a vegetable, so many people think it’s a spice.

For instance, dry garlic is often used to add flavor to dishes, and it’s most commonly sold alongside other spices in grocery stores.

Unlike other vegetables, garlic is rarely consumed in large amounts or on its own. It’s usually added to dishes in small amounts because of its strong taste.

In fact, second only to onions, it may be the most popular bulb used for flavor worldwide.

Garlic can be cooked either crushed, peeled, or whole. It’s commonly roasted, boiled, or sautéed. It can also be bought chopped, minced, pickled, or in supplement form.

It was previously believed that only raw garlic had health benefits. However, studies now show that cooked and commercially prepared products can be just as beneficial.

Dietary guidelines recommend that fruits and vegetables comprise half of your plate during a meal, or about 800 grams (g) (1.7 pounds) throughout the day.

However, there’s no need to fill half your plate with garlic.

This potent vegetable packs a variety of sulfur compounds, including allicin, which accounts for most of its medicinal properties.

Research shows that just 1 to 2 cloves (4 g) of garlic may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that could help:

Garlic may also play a role in preventing certain health conditions, including:

Learn more about the health benefits of eating garlic.

Though widely used as an herb or spice, garlic is botanically a vegetable.

It offers a variety of health benefits and is a particularly pungent ingredient that can spice up your favorite dish.

Unlike other vegetables, it’s less commonly cooked on its own or eaten whole.