An essential element in cuisines around the world, garlic enjoys near mythic status among cooks, chefs, foodies, and enthusiasts of natural remedies. Worldwide, garlic cultivation occupies over 2 million acres of farmland, an area that has more than doubled since 1970. Yet even garlic fanciers may be unable to tell hardneck from softneck, or Purple Stripe from Rocambole, not to mention the hundreds of cultivated varieties grown today, many with distinct differences in taste and character.Although garlic is neither an herb or a spice it has been used to enhance food as far back as when the pyramids at Giza were built. This unassuming bulb packs a powerful punch and is an essential element to recipes from around the world. Chefs and home cooks use it to enhance and intensify other ingredients or even as the signature element of a dish. Its taste varies in depth and aroma depending on the way it is cooked and the variety used. The garlic bulbs found on sale are actually dried in the sun, though we tend to consider them fresh. Smoked garlic is dried garlic that has been smoked to give it a golden hue and mellow smoky flavor. Wild garlic, or 'ramps', is a seasonal and foraged variety that, unlike common cultivated garlic, it is the leaves that are eaten rather than the bulbs.