My Garlic Turned Blue

My garlic turned blue when it was mixed with the butter
The other day, Jonathan and I were making artichokes with a garlic butter sauce.
The strangest thing happened…
When we added the garlic to the melted butter, the garlic turned BLUE! Yes, blue. Blue garlic.
We’d never seen this before, and wondered if it was still safe to eat, or if we had just performed some sort of culinary magic trick.
So we Googled it.
We learned about blue garlic from Yahoo Answers:
Garlic contains sulfur compounds which can react with copper to form copper sulfate, a blue or blue-green compound. The amount of copper needed for this reaction is very small and is frequently found in normal water supplies. Raw garlic contains an enzyme that if not inactivated by heating reacts with sulfur (in the garlic) and copper (from water or utensils) to form blue copper sulfate. The garlic is still safe to eat.
Why does my garlic turn blue when heated in butter in the microwave?
I make a crab pasta dish that is to die for. I don’t cook the garlic, but put it directly into the butter. (garlic press) In the past I have melted the butter WITH the garlic in it in the microwave. The garlic pieces turn BLUE. I have the same thing happen when I melt the butter on the stove with the garlic.
Why did the garlic turn blue? I don’t mind the color, but is it OK to eat?
Yes, it’s safe to eat, and makes for an interesting conversation topic as well.
(Now I only add the garlic at the end.)

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7 Responses to “My Garlic Turned Blue”

dave says:

September 21, 2009 at 10:14 pm

Now in all my years of cooking I’ve never heard of such a thing. That’s absolutely fascinating!
Personally, I’d make every attempt to keep my garlic blue. Maybe name the dish something clever involving the color

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siva says:

September 22, 2009 at 2:20 am

Its nice to know the reactions.We have to investigate further as to whether it causes any side effect if we take small/medium/large quantity of this reactive meals over a long period.This may give some health benefits. Who knows? Regards siva

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Anonymous says:

September 22, 2009 at 7:52 am

Great chemistry information!

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Stephanie says:

July 31, 2010 at 12:06 am

We just talked about this in my ServSafe class today. There are three naturally blue foods: borage, blue corn, and garlic when a chemical reaction occurs.

Garlic turns blue when it forms copper sulfate, but it also turns blue when left uncooked in an aluminum pan, and, evidently, when pickled.

Speaking of copper: make sure you never cook anything acidic in a copper pot/pan. The acid leaches out toxic metals that can cause foodborne illness! (Same goes for pewter pans or pitchers!)

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- strive4impact says:
  
  August 1, 2010 at 5:29 pm
  
  That’s really good advice Stephanie. Copper is an amazing material, no?
  
  Reply
carrol says:

September 13, 2011 at 4:38 am

I accidently left Chinese garlic out overnight and some of it went blue. I tried it again and I also used Mexican garlic and left it out overnight in completely clean dishes separated. They both started going blue. I then bought local Australian garlic from the market and did the same thing and it stayed totally white. As some foods go through an irradiation process here that this might cause this to happen also I’ve heard they put stuff on garlic so that we can’t regrow it here. I’d really like to know what is fact and fiction. I know the food laws in Australia are not that great when it comes to food labelling. I’d say grow your own garlic as it’s the only way you know what your eating.

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- strive4impact says:
  
  September 14, 2011 at 3:12 am
  
  Growing your own, and growing natural seeds that haven’t been messed with by big companies introducing new things into the seed cells is definitely a good idea and the way to go. It’s amazing what our modern science can do, but messing with seeds and food production at a cellular level doesn’t seem to be the way to go. Do you have any suggestions for places to buy good organic seeds (for garlic or otherwise)?
  
  Reply