Bogatyr
Last updated on Jul 15, 2024 by Claire Ronniger
Great bulbs of fire! Like their cousin, Metechi, Bogatyr is one of the most fabulous garlics in the world, in my view. These are huge garlics with a flavor that is even bigger. They are close to the size of the largest garlics and beautiful enough to put on a pedestal in an art museum. Because Metechi and Bogatyr are indistinguishable from each other except by dna analysis, I am going to use Metechi's description for Bogatyr.
They have five to seven monstrously large cloves that will blow your socks off. I think they're even hotter than Skuri #2 but seem to have a more pleasant lingering aftertaste. These great fireballs store much better, firmer and longer than the standard group and grow much better for us as well.
Their bulb wrappers are thick, luxuriant and parchment-like and the outer ones are very, very white. As you peel away the outer wrappers more and more purple striping shows up and they become almost solid purple by the time you get down to the cloves. The clove covers are dark brown with purple streaks and long sharp pointed tips.
When I taste tested this magnificent beast, my face turned very red, tears welled up and I broke out into an instant profuse sweat and I thought fire was coming out of my nose and ears. I had to breathe in through my mouth and out through my nose in an effort to cool the heat, which subsided after a minute or so. It took almost an hour for the hair on the back of my neck to dry. I don't know if I had an extra large bite due to the size of the clove or what, but I gained a wholesome respect for this garlic. The aftertaste was warm pleasing and garlicky, but not unpleasant. Its flavor seems to hold up well in cooking.
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