Korean Black Garlic | Heuk Maneul · Allium sativum | 7.05 oz

Korean black garlic is a whole garlic bulb slowly aged until the cloves turn soft, dark, and sweet-tart. Grown in Namhae, Korea, from a single ingredient: garlic.

What is Korean black garlic?

Korean black garlic — heuk maneul (흑마늘), Allium sativum — is fresh garlic held at steady warmth and humidity for weeks until the cloves darken on their own. Nothing is added and nothing is taken out. This 200 g (7.05 oz) pack holds whole unpeeled bulbs, aged and sold exactly as they came out of the aging room.

The smell is the first surprise. There is no raw-garlic bite — it reads closer to balsamic, dried fig and molasses. Peel a clove and it slips out of its skin with the give of a soft date.

Kosbee stocks Korean pantry staples the way they are eaten in Korea, not the way they are usually reformulated for export. This is the same whole-bulb black garlic sold in Korean markets, shipped to you from our New Jersey warehouse.

Grown and aged in Namhae, Korea

Namhae is an island county on Korea's southern coast and a long-established garlic-growing area, and this black garlic is made from garlic grown there. The bulbs are aged whole, with the skins on, which is why the cloves stay plump instead of drying into chips.

The ingredient list is one line long: garlic. No sugar, no syrup, no preservatives, no coloring. Product of Korea.

Key facts

Origin

Namhae, Korea — Product of Korea

Botanical name

Allium sativum

Korean name

흑마늘 (heuk maneul) — black garlic

Net weight

200 g (7.05 oz)

Form

Whole unpeeled bulbs

Ingredients

100% garlic — nothing added

Process

Slowly aged under controlled heat and humidity

Storage

Cool, dry place away from sunlight. Refrigerate in a sealed container after opening.

How to use Korean black garlic

How do you eat black garlic on its own?

Break a bulb apart, peel one or two cloves, and eat them at room temperature. That is the usual daily serving in Korea — one or two cloves, often in the morning. The texture is soft and slightly chewy; the flavor is sweet up front with a tamarind-like tang at the finish.

How do you cook with black garlic?

Mash 3 to 4 cloves into a paste and stir it into 2 L of stock for galbi-tang or beef soup — it deepens the color and rounds out the salt. For a dressing, mash 4 cloves with 60 ml olive oil, 30 ml balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. It also spreads straight onto warm bread or folds into butter.

How many cloves are in a 200 g pack?

Bulb size varies by harvest, so count varies rather than weight. Expect roughly 5 to 8 whole bulbs per 200 g pack, each holding several cloves. Weight is the fixed number here: 200 g (7.05 oz) net.

Before you use it

This is a food, not a supplement. If you are allergic to garlic or to other alliums, do not eat it. If you are pregnant or nursing, or take prescription medication, ask your healthcare provider before making it a daily habit. Keep it out of reach of small children, since the soft cloves are easy to swallow whole.

Black garlic vs raw garlic — what is the difference?

Black garlic starts as ordinary Allium sativum, the same bulb you would mince for kimchi. Weeks of controlled aging break down the sharp sulfur compounds that make raw garlic burn, so the heat and the lingering breath largely go away. What is left is dark, sticky and mellow — more balsamic and dried fruit than raw clove.

The practical difference is where each one belongs. Raw garlic is a cooking aromatic you use by the clove and rarely eat straight. Black garlic is eaten as is, or added at the end of cooking, because long heat undoes the flavor you paid for.

Whole bulbs or peeled cloves — which should you buy?

Peeled cloves are faster, but the skin is what keeps the clove moist; peeled black garlic tends to firm up and darken at the edges sooner once the pack is open. These are sold as whole unpeeled bulbs, so each clove stays sealed in its own skin until you break the bulb apart.

Frequently asked questions

What is Korean black garlic (heuk maneul)?

Korean black garlic is whole garlic aged slowly under steady heat and humidity until the cloves turn dark and soft. This one is made from garlic grown in Namhae, Korea, from a single ingredient — garlic. No sugar, no preservatives, no coloring and no additives of any kind.

How do you eat and store black garlic?

Peel a clove and eat it as is; the texture is soft and chewy, the flavor sweet-tart. Mash three or four cloves into soups, marinades or dressings. Keep the pack in a cool, dry spot away from sunlight, and refrigerate it in a sealed container once opened.

How is black garlic different from raw garlic?

Black garlic begins as ordinary Allium sativum. Weeks of controlled aging break down its sharp sulfur compounds, so the burn and the strong garlic breath largely disappear. What remains is dark, sticky and mellow, closer to balsamic vinegar or dried fruit than to the raw clove it started as.

Where does this ship from?

Orders ship from the Kosbee warehouse in New Jersey, usually within one business day, and tracking is emailed at dispatch. The garlic itself is grown and aged in Korea — Product of Korea — so you get a Korean-market pantry item without the wait of an international order.

Shipping, returns and storage

Ships from New Jersey, usually within one business day. Store the unopened pack in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight; once opened, move the bulbs to a sealed container in the refrigerator. Unopened food items can be returned in their original condition — contact us and we will sort it out.

More Korean pantry staples: browse Wholesome K-Food & Groceries. If fermented Korean foods are what you are after, see our Korean Black Bean Cheonggukjang Pills, and for the soup pot, the Korean Samgyetang Herbs pack.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.