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Is garlic tayyib or khabīth?
Garlic was the system's most ambiguous food. Cooked, raw, blended, none of these saved it. The May 2026 ruling places garlic firmly in khabīth.
The sulphur problem
Garlic contains allicin, ajoene, and a dozen related sulphur compounds released the moment a clove is crushed. These compounds explain garlic's medicinal reputation, the smell, the antibacterial action, but also the gut irritation that the doctor reads as a histaminergic stressor. Unlike onion which loses most of its sulphur compounds during cooking, garlic retains a significant fraction even after a long simmer. Onion can be tamed by heat; garlic cannot.
The May 2026 clarification
Before May 2026, garlic was treated by many practitioners as borderline: lightly cooked in stews, sometimes blended into a sauce base. The cumulative reading of the doctor's lectures and the application notes from his clinic settled the question. Garlic is in the khabīth list, period. No preparation rescues it. The Tayyibat palette accepts onion (cooked), bell pepper (cooked), tomato (Attaybatte) but garlic is out. This applies to garlic powder, garlic salt, garlic-infused olive oil, all forms.
What to do without garlic in Arab cuisine
Most Arab home cooks lean on garlic at the start of every stew, every tagine, every shawarma marinade. Removing it feels structural. The Tayyibat replacement is the onion sweat done long and slow: 15 to 20 minutes of blended onion melting in ghee on low heat builds a savoury base depth that approximates the umami garlic contributes. Add green cardamom for aromatic lift, thyme for herbaceous note, saffron for warm colour. The result tastes different from a garlic-onion base but is recognisably Arab and stays compliant.
Restaurant strategy
Most Levantine restaurants put garlic in almost every cooked dish: tarator sauce, mansaf yogurt-mint, hummus (excluded anyway), shish taouk marinade (excluded chicken anyway), kibbeh stuffing. North African couscous sauces lean less heavily on garlic but harissa and chermoula are loaded with it. Egyptian restaurants are the gentlest with garlic. Order plain grilled lamb, ask for sauces on the side, refuse harissa and tarator. The signature line in Arabic: من فضلك بدون ثوم وبدون كمُّون. Bring it up before the order, repeat it when the dish arrives.
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This article relays the public teachings of Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi for educational and informative purposes. It is not medical advice. Consult your physician before any dietary change. Legal notice.