It’s possible to use cloves of elephant garlic as a vegetable—sliced and sautéed in butter or olive oil—as well as a flavoring agent. Each clove slips nicely out of its papery skin, and, in theory, one clove of elephant is equal in size and weight to about 18 to 20 cloves of regular garlic. Elephant garlic is a good choice if you want to impart the taste of garlic to a delicately flavored dish.

Once cooked or grilled, elephant garlic takes on a gentle, sweet taste. Eat it by itself or spread it on a piece of Italian bread. Because it’s milder and less pungent than garlic, elephant garlic can be enjoyed sliced raw in salads.

When cooking elephant garlic, be aware that it tends to brown even more quickly than other types of garlic, and this may give it a bitter taste.