(Heb. shum, from its strong odour), mentioned only once ( Numbers 11:5 ). The garlic common in Eastern countries is the Allium sativum or Allium Ascalonicum, so called from its having been brought into Europe from Ascalon by the Crusaders. It is now known by the name of "shallot" or "eschalot."
( Numbers 11:5 ) is the Allium sativum of Linnaeus, which abounds in Egypt.
GARLIC
gar'-lik (shum, used only in plural shumim; compare Arabic thum):
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.
E. W. G. Masterman
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