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Watch: How Garlic Became a Vampire Repellent, and Other Allium Myths

Legends from all over the world cite the bulb as a cure and a weapon

Forklore is back with another animated look at the legends surrounding some of your favorite foods, this time zooming in on everyone's favorite flavorful, pungent allium, garlic.

Ask anyone familiar with the vampire myth — or any of the vampire-like myths that sprung up in the Philipines, ancient Greece, and China — and they will tell you two things about the fabled creatures: They feed off blood and are kept at bay by garlic. Aside from being a fast-track to questionable breath, cultures across the world and throughout time have deemed garlic a powerful tool. Citing its medicinal and insect repellent properties as indicators, the bulb gained a reputation for curing disease, warding off evil, and even assisting in the quest for immortality. Watch the video above to learn more.

Garlic isn't the only food tied to the vampire myth: Click here to see how the evolution of corn farming and processing aided in the spread of the legend as well.

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