Can you substitute garlic for onions in recipes? I prefer the flavor of garlic to the flavor of onion, maybe because I don't love onions' sweet notes.
Almost all savory recipes call for onions, which I don't love, probably because onions are kind of sweet. I know I could just leave them out. But I do want flavorful dishes. And I love the flavor of garlic. Is it possible to use garlic instead? I know that garlic is more pungent than onion, and so I suspect substituting garlic for onion will take a bit of sophistication.
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Vidalia, Candy Cane, or "Sweet" onions are common and crazy sweet; some have 16% sugar which is the same as the sweetest apples! (Source: Robinson, Eating on the Wild Side, p. 58) I'd say your palate is spot on for detecting that sweetness.
More savory, pungent red and yellow onions will be better suited to your tastes. (Western Yellow is a good 'un.) Staying in the allium family, substituting leeks or perhaps scallions could work depending on the dish.