The Bizarre Reason You Can Taste Garlic With Your Feet

Garlic has a very distinct flavor and smell. When you walk into the kitchen, it's usually one of the first ingredients that you're able to distinguish when it's being cooked. It's such a strong herb that some people actually claim they can taste it through their feet (via ACS). This news may come as a surprise to you, but it helps to keep in mind that this isn't the only strange fact surrounding regularly consumed foods. According to USA Today, potatoes were once used by Boeing to test the Wi-Fi signal in airplanes because they absorb radio waves the same way people do.

Per Grey Duck Garlic, garlic has been used as food, in medicine, and even as currency for over 5,000 years. It was also used as protection; garlic hung around the neck was said to ward off the black plague, keep away ill-intentioned witches, and guard against bull horns. The spice has an exciting history, but what is it that has people claiming they can taste it through their feet?

Garlic contains a chemical compound called allicin. Allicin has many health benefits, such as easing inflammation and lowering your blood sugar and blood pressure, per Very Well Health. This chemical is what gives garlic its intense flavor and smell.

ACS states that when sticking your feet in a bag of garlic cloves, allicin molecules are absorbed into the skin and transported into the bloodstream and straight to your nose and mouth. Because of this, you'll be able to taste garlic when the cloves are rubbed on your feet. The chemical is also what gives the food its health benefits: According to Very Well Health, the allicin found in garlic may have properties that help prevent cancer and heart disease and it's a good idea to leave it alone for 10 minutes after crushing to increase levels of the compound. If you need an easy way to prepare your garlic, you may want to know how to crush garlic without a garlic press.