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Glite Dictionary
Spanish garlic

Spanish garlic

6.4
A European variety of leek with a mild taste used in cooking
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : ajo español
  • Many Mediterranean dishes call for Spanish garlic because of its mild, sweet flavor.

Examples

  • When sautéed, Spanish garlic adds a subtle aroma to soups and stews.

  • The farmer is growing Spanish garlic alongside onions and shallots this season.

  • I bought some Spanish garlic at the farmer's market.

  • Have you ever tried Spanish garlic in your recipes?

  • Many Mediterranean dishes call for Spanish garlic because of its mild, sweet flavor.

  • The farmer is growing Spanish garlic alongside onions and shallots this season.

  • When sautéed, Spanish garlic adds a subtle aroma to soups and stews.

Synonyms

giant garlic
vsSpanish garlic
2.9

A large vegetable like a leek with a mild garlic taste

is the general variety without emphasis on large size
Allium scorodoprasum
vsSpanish garlic
  • Specialized
9.9

A European wild leek that people use like common leeks in cooking

is the cultivated variety rather than a wild species
sand leek
vsSpanish garlic
  • UK
8.2

A European plant related to onions that people grow for its edible stems and leaves used in cooking

is specifically a leek variety, not a broader onion family plant
rocambole
vsSpanish garlic
9.9

A kind of garlic with a mild, sweet taste

is defined by its use as a leek variety rather than relation to garlic

Surface Forms

Spanish garlic singular
Spanish garlicks plural

Morphology

Spanish + garlic

Although the form 'Spanish garlic' looks compositionally like 'garlic from Spain' (a transparent Adj + N origin reading), the provided definition refers to a different plant (a European variety of leek), so the actual meaning cannot be derived from the constituents. This mismatch between literal constituents and the lexicalized sense makes the expression unpredictable for a B1 learner who knows the words but not the special usage.

Etymology

Spanish garlic may come from the vegetable coming from Spain and from its mild taste that reminded people of 'garlic'. That's why the name makes you think of a mild, 'garlic-like' leek used in cooking, and it is the name for this kind of leek today.