A documentary on the history of garlic. Blank interviews chefs, garlic lovers, and historians about the their love of the 'stinking rose.' Often referred to as a stinking rose, garlic, in its culinary uses, generally evokes a love it or hate it response. Quite often, these responses are on cultural lines, where old world cultures have generally revered it in their cooking, while new world cultures have not. A renaissance of sorts is taking place in the use of garlic in the United States, with more and more immigrants bringing their use of the spice to the country, with more people desiring more spice in their food, with a desire to get back to the land and with the production of plant a large part of the Central California landscape. Many chefs are presented preparing dishes prominently featuring the spice. On the bad side, the association of garlic to bad breath is discussed. On the other side, its purported health benefits are also discussed. Other topics presented include its association to vampirism, and speculation of how people will want their garlic to be presented to them in the future.
大约五千年前，大蒜被首次种植于中亚高原，尔后传到西亚和地中海沿岸，古巴比伦人和埃及人成为大蒜的第一批粉丝。之后人们发现了其消毒杀菌的奇特功效，经由上古医学始祖希波克拉底的大力宣传，古希腊人也开始食用大蒜。同胡椒一样，张骞将大蒜从西域带入中国。
与其短时间内风靡欧洲不同，大蒜在中国长时间以来上不了台面，究其原因不外乎是辛辣强烈的气味，孔子“八不食”中有“色恶不食”，即气味难闻的不吃，无疑是给大蒜判了刑。然而孔子却说“不撤姜食”，同样重口的生姜被认为是必不可少的香辛料，这就很双标了。
地球另一边，由于中世纪瘟疫四起，黑死病、疟疾接踵而至，之卫生条件恶劣，欧洲人不得不食用大量有杀菌功效的食物，如大蒜、酒精，加之大蒜浓烈的气味使得蚊虫不敢近前，造成了西方独特的大蒜文化。吸血鬼两大克星，十字架和大蒜，一下子给大蒜拔高到了与精神象征并列的地位。而随着五月花号开向美洲大陆，大蒜又作为一种清教徒的象征在美洲开花结实，清教徒讲求清修，饮食要朴素，大鱼大肉是这辈子都不可能的，没有油脂香，就依靠各种香料来增香，大蒜、百里香等等，Parsley, sage, rosemary and thmye, <Scarborough fair>这句歌词里的四种香料，也在片中一锅粗放的炖菜里出现，它们就带有典型的清教色彩。
说实话，影片里出现的菜都是笨手笨脚的洋人的玩意儿，粗糙黑暗的很，比如拿肚子里塞满杂碎的整鸡外面裹一层面皮进烤箱，完全就是迷惑操作，要我说还得看中餐。因大蒜易种植、产量大的特点，物产相对稀缺的北方似乎更中意做菜放蒜，甚至直接吃蒜。蒜肠、甜蒜、炝蒜，吃面不吃蒜，香味少一半，大肉红烧，浓油赤酱，放两瓣大蒜子，锅里和弄和弄装盘上桌，蒜子和肉块，裹上酱汁后雌雄莫辨，大快朵颐，盘里还剩最后一块，一口下去，不是油脂充盈和纤维软烂，却是油滑酥碎，接着浓郁的冲劲在嘴里荡开，肉早已吃完，只剩蒜了。我是江西人，按理说南方鱼米之乡应该经不住这等粗犷简单，但江西人口重，辣椒、酱油和大蒜子是做饭时永远不会吝啬的。一次和外地同学吃饭，做糖醋排骨，习惯性扔了两瓣蒜，对方大惊失色。
家里先前老人是南京人，算半个北方人，也有生蒜蘸醋吃的习惯。小时候有次着了凉，让我每顿前吃生蒜，第一瓣嚼吧嚼吧咽下去感觉还行，吃到第二瓣就两鼻升烟，闭着眼吞了下去，毕竟还是接受不了。影片后半部分那小哥说他用生蒜蘸巧克力，唤起了这段经历。蘸醋和蘸巧克力，孰高孰低，不言而喻。
放飞大脑写到这里该结尾了，是时候说出我洋葱党的身份了，大蒜胜十妈，洋葱胜大蒜，红洋葱胜白洋葱，谢谢。