No, garlic is not entirely man-made, but rather a result of natural evolution and selective cultivation by humans over time.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
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Origin and Evolution: It is generally believed that garlic (Allium sativum) evolved from a wild species, Allium longicuspis. The exact origin is uncertain, but it grew wildly in a broad region spanning from Siberia to India, Egypt, and Central Europe.
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Human Influence: While not "man-made" in the sense of being created entirely from scratch, humans have played a significant role in garlic's development through selective breeding. Farmers and gardeners chose and propagated plants with desirable traits (e.g., larger bulbs, better flavor, disease resistance), leading to the diverse varieties of garlic we see today.
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Cultivation: Garlic has been cultivated for thousands of years and spread throughout Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. This cultivation further influenced its evolution and characteristics.
In summary, garlic originated in the wild and then humans shaped its characteristics through selective breeding and cultivation, but it wasn't artificially created from non-garlic material.