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The Garlic Lovers Cookbook
During the last weekend of July, more than 125,000 garlic growers and gourmands pilgrimage to Gilroy, California, for three savory days of sun, fun, and phenomenal food. Since 1978, the Gilroy Garlic Festival has attracted both professional and amateur cooks, who test their culinary prowess in the Great Garlic Cook-Off Contest. The fruits (or rather, bulbs) of their labors pack the pages of this revised first volume of THE GARLIC LOVERS COOKBOOK, with a dizzying mélange of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian, and all-American flavors. This breathtaking collection of more than 200 recipes is as fresh and zesty as ever.
180 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 12, 2022
A Hare Krishna once gave me a cookbook as I walked through an airport back in the ‘80s. I still have it, but don’t remember ever using it. A big reason why is that it explained in its introduction that the sect prohibits using garlic in its cooking. I’m sorry, but a life without garlic is just unimaginable!
The Garlic Lovers’ Cookbook is the antithesis of that Hare Krishna one. It is a celebration of garlic generously added to your cuisine. It contains many succulent recipes, but one stands out for me, a recipe from this book that I have made regularly for the past quarter century. Its recipe for Greek Green Beans, cooked in tomato juice till it reduces to a thick sauce, and combined with onions, lots of garlic, diced tomatoes, spices and herbs, all sautéed in olive oil became one of my favorite standards.
The Garlic Lovers’ Cookbook is the antithesis of that Hare Krishna one. It is a celebration of garlic generously added to your cuisine. It contains many succulent recipes, but one stands out for me, a recipe from this book that I have made regularly for the past quarter century. Its recipe for Greek Green Beans, cooked in tomato juice till it reduces to a thick sauce, and combined with onions, lots of garlic, diced tomatoes, spices and herbs, all sautéed in olive oil became one of my favorite standards.
July 5, 2020
More of a historical glimpse into the way people used to eat than a cookbook that I'd use for recipes. Recipes span from shockingly unhealthy and probably tasty to bizarrely racist. Good read for anyone interested in the history of food.
June 2, 2026
Nice collection of recipes from the folks behind the Gilroy Garlic Festival. A brief intro to the festival up front, and garlic history. Color photo section in the middle with festival pictures. Well-organized and tested recipes.
October 14, 2009
The Gilroy Garlic Festival Association, The Garlic Lovers' Cookbook (Celestial Arts, 1980)
A quick check of Amazon shows me that this book has, in fact, been updated a few times since the 1980 copy I was able to get my hands on. Take certain passages with a grain of salt, consequently.
It would be simple to give this a one-line review along the lines of “if you like garlic, you'll love this cookbook”. And it would even be true. However, there's a bit more to this, though whether you will find it charming or amateur is a matter of taste. And honestly, the floor for garlic inclusion in the contest recipes was only three cloves, so don't be expecting an avalanche of the stuff (which I was looking forward to).
In any case, Celestial Arts has obviously come a long way since 1980; this has the distinct feel of a self-published book, with the expected fonts and art of same, but when it comes right down to it, who cares? A cookbook is all about the recipes; we all have at least one homemade cookbook with the recipes typewritten on three-hole-punch looseleaf, don't we? And if you're a garlic fan, you'll find a lot here that will intrigue you. Loads of Italian food, naturally, but other continents' fares are well-represented as well, along with an eclectic mix of stuff you'll never be able to quite figure out an origin for. (The book's one real disappointment: it lacks the recipe for the festival's infamous garlic ice cream.) The recipes themselves are (or look, for the ones I haven't delved into yet) fine enough, but if you're looking for something professionally printed, head elsewhere. *** ½
A quick check of Amazon shows me that this book has, in fact, been updated a few times since the 1980 copy I was able to get my hands on. Take certain passages with a grain of salt, consequently.
It would be simple to give this a one-line review along the lines of “if you like garlic, you'll love this cookbook”. And it would even be true. However, there's a bit more to this, though whether you will find it charming or amateur is a matter of taste. And honestly, the floor for garlic inclusion in the contest recipes was only three cloves, so don't be expecting an avalanche of the stuff (which I was looking forward to).
In any case, Celestial Arts has obviously come a long way since 1980; this has the distinct feel of a self-published book, with the expected fonts and art of same, but when it comes right down to it, who cares? A cookbook is all about the recipes; we all have at least one homemade cookbook with the recipes typewritten on three-hole-punch looseleaf, don't we? And if you're a garlic fan, you'll find a lot here that will intrigue you. Loads of Italian food, naturally, but other continents' fares are well-represented as well, along with an eclectic mix of stuff you'll never be able to quite figure out an origin for. (The book's one real disappointment: it lacks the recipe for the festival's infamous garlic ice cream.) The recipes themselves are (or look, for the ones I haven't delved into yet) fine enough, but if you're looking for something professionally printed, head elsewhere. *** ½
October 4, 2014
PROS: The recipes are compiled from locals in the Gilroy area which is sweet and a good shout out to Gilroy, home of garlic.
CONS: I didn’t find any of the recipes I made particularly garlicky. Some of the recipes were boring, nothing was cohesive, and frankly, I don’t believe using one clove in a recipe makes a recipe belong in a garlic lovers’ cookbook. I love garlic and wanted that tang.
Overall: As a random mismatch of recipes, the recipes aren’t bad. But unless you are just looking for a cookbook with some random recipes in it, this is not a great book. As the recipes are written, nothing is intensely garlicky, which I would expect from a book with this title. I had high expectations and really was just treated to some recipes that people in Gilroy make at home for dinner. It was nothing special. I’m not sure if I’m even going to keep this book around.
For the whole review go here
CONS: I didn’t find any of the recipes I made particularly garlicky. Some of the recipes were boring, nothing was cohesive, and frankly, I don’t believe using one clove in a recipe makes a recipe belong in a garlic lovers’ cookbook. I love garlic and wanted that tang.
Overall: As a random mismatch of recipes, the recipes aren’t bad. But unless you are just looking for a cookbook with some random recipes in it, this is not a great book. As the recipes are written, nothing is intensely garlicky, which I would expect from a book with this title. I had high expectations and really was just treated to some recipes that people in Gilroy make at home for dinner. It was nothing special. I’m not sure if I’m even going to keep this book around.
For the whole review go here
September 2, 2007
learned about the gilroy garlic festival and a lot of good food
March 8, 2008
I eat garlic for breakfest.
November 18, 2012
My copy is almost worn out! I'll be needing a shiny new copy soon.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews