gar´lik ( שׁוּם , shūm , used only in plural שׁוּמים , shūmı̄m ; compare Arabic thûm ): One of the delights of Egypt for which the Israelites in the Wilderness longed ( Numbers 11:5 ); we know from other sources that, though originally a product of Central Asia, garlic was known to the ancient Egyptians. It is the bulb of Allium sativum , Natural Order Liliaceae , and is cultivated all over the Orient. It is eaten cooked in stews; its disagreeable penetrating odor is in evidence in the houses and on the breath of most Orientals. A bulb of garlic, hung over a bed or over the door of a house, is a powerful charm against the evil eye and other malign influences.
Source
- part_of
source-manifest/isbe— ISBE (PD)