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The Onion. No, not that Onion. Rather, the delectable vegetable that adds a great deal of flavor to your meal and aroma to your kitchen. At the workhouse, Oliver Twist was lucky to get “Three meals of thin gruel a day, with an onion twice a week, and half a roll on Saturdays.” I can’t imagine eating an onion plain, but perhaps some of you have. For now, shake or stir your Gibson cocktail (garnished with an onion, of course), and learn more about this fantastic foodstuff.
• According to the Cambridge World History of Food, “The onion may have originated in Persia (Iran) and Beluchistan (eastern Iran and southwestern Pakistan), but it is also possible that onions were indigenous from Palestine to India […] the consumption of onions is depicted in the decoration of Egyptian tombs dating from the Early Dynasty Period, c. 2925–c. 2575 B.C. Onions were used as religious offerings, put on altars and, as is known from mummified remains,were employed in preparing the dead for burial (placed about the thorax and eyes, flattened against the ears, and placed along the legs and feet and near the pelves). The Greek historian Herodotus reported that onions, along with radishes and garlic, were a part of the staple diet of the laborers who built the Great Pyramid at Giza (2700–2200 B.C.)”
• Not merely a tasty addition to many dishes, onions are also thought to relieve hypertension, hyperlipemia and coronary artery disease. Also, onions contain antioxidative activity, which can be increased by microwave heating or boiling.
• Onions vary in size, shape, color and pungency. For instance, warmer climates produce onions with a milder, sweeter flavor than do other climates. From the Encyclopedia Britannica, a quick field guide to onion varieties:
– Globe-shaped onions may be white, yellow, or red. They have strong flavor and are used chiefly for soups, stews, and other prepared dishes and for frying.
– Bermuda onions are large and flat, with white or yellow color and fairly mild taste. They are often cooked and may be stuffed, roasted, or French-fried. They are also sliced and used raw in salads and sandwiches.
– Spanish onions are large, sweet, and juicy, with color ranging from yellow to red. Their flavor is mild, and they are used raw and sliced for salads and sandwiches and as a garnish.
– Italian onions are flat, with red color and mild flavor. They are used raw for salads and sandwiches, and their red outer rings make an attractive garnish.
– Pearl onions are not a specific variety but are small, round, white onions harvested when 25 mm (1 inch) or less in diameter. They are usually pickled and used as a garnish and in cocktails. Small white onions that are picked when between 25 and 38 mm in diameter are used to flavor foods having fairly delicate taste, such as omelets and other egg dishes, sauces, and peas. They are also served boiled or baked.
– Green onions, also called scallions and spring onions, are young onions harvested when their tops are green and the underdeveloped bulbs are 13 mm or less in diameter. Their flavor is mild, and the entire onion, including top, stem, and bulb, is used raw in salads and sauces, as a garnish, and also as a seasoning for prepared dishes.
• Of course, one of the most popular varieties of onion is the Vidalia because of its mild flavor. The Vidalia often fetches as much as three times the price of ordinary onions. Grown in Georgia, it will not cause “your nose to run, your heart to burn, or your sweetheart to gag” (at least according to Jimmy Carter’s former press secretary). Tests have shown that the sugar content in the Vidalia is highest of all; it seems to have something to do with the mild climate and the paucity of sulfur in the sandy soil.
• Because of its popularity, the Vidalia has had to contend with its share of impostors. In 1986, a case went to the Georgia Supreme Court against onions grown in Texas and California that called themselves “Vidalia Sweet Onions.” After the case was settled, the Georgia legislature passed a law that stated only onions grown in specific counties of Georgia could be labeled as Vidalia.
• If onions are so wonderful, why do they make you cry? Find out by reading this article, which describes the chemical process, along with a few remedies. A friend once told me if you put a wooden spoon in your mouth it works to stave off the tears. This is as of yet untested …. has it worked for anyone else?
• If all else fails for the very sensitive, consider purchasing your own pair of onion goggles, or finding scientifically meddled-with, tear-free onions.
• First Prize at the 2007 Onion and Leek Show went to Paul Rochester for an onion over 15 lbs. His secret? Playing swing tunes to the plants, something I once tried for a science-fair project, to negligible results (my violin playing did better than the plant which I talked to, though. It died).
• After all this onion business, you may need a bit of parsley to get rid of that onion breath … at least, according to the National Onion Association that is.
• What are you favorite ways to use an onion? I often caramelize it and include it in everything from stir fry to pizza to a scrumptious gourmet grilled cheese sandwich (though I don’t cook them for nearly as long as that site recommends).
Hungry for more? Venture into the Dietribes archive.
‘Dietribes’ appears every other Wednesday. Food photos taken by Johanna Beyenbach. You might remember that name from our post about her colorful diet.
Shhh…super secret special for blog readers.
Comments (20)
Comment
Onion GOGGLES?? I’ve seen it all now…
posted by Christian on 6-25-2008 at 2:20 pm
Since I had LASIK PRK, chopping the tiniest bit of onion is absolutely excruciating to me. Anybody else?
My mum used to eat onion, butter and garlic sandwiches - YUCK! but I love onion soup. Not fond of the farts though, they are pretty deadly.
posted by Mare on 6-25-2008 at 2:39 pm
The wooden spoon trick will take care of the tears about 90% effective. But the reason it works is that it will force you to breathe through your mouth, which i know does work, if you can remember to keep it up through all the chopping. I might try the spoon next time, since i usually forget why my mouth is open and shut it 1/2 way thru. somehow breathing nasally is what triggers the tears.
posted by ex was a chef on 6-25-2008 at 2:51 pm
I love doing “frenched” onions. You peel off all the unedible outer layers. Then with out slicing all the way through, you cut it into quarters, it kind of looks like a flower. Then you rub it all over with margerine and stick a beef boullion cube in the center. Then wrap it in foil and through it on the grill or in the oven for aprox. 30 mins depending on the temperature. It is always a big success when we are grilling out!
posted by stephW on 6-25-2008 at 2:55 pm
When i was little.. i literally wore swimming goggles when i watched my dad chop onions.. Who knew i could make money off of them!
posted by RPO on 6-25-2008 at 3:38 pm
i’ve heard that you’re supposed to chew gum (or something else that’s chewable) to prevent from tearing up.
posted by susan on 6-25-2008 at 3:39 pm
i heard as long as you have something in your mouth, you’re fine. i like putting a piece of bread in m mouth though.
posted by emily on 6-25-2008 at 4:46 pm
I just don’t chop them at all. The food processor does it all for me.
posted by Tricia on 6-25-2008 at 7:44 pm
I wear contacts, and as long as I have them in onions don’t bother me at all. If they aren’t in my eyes I can’t do it at all! It hurts so bad!
posted by Kala on 6-26-2008 at 12:38 am
i like the onion goggles, it helps during cooking.
posted by chumpman on 6-26-2008 at 6:50 am
Considering your eyes tear through a chemical reaction between the volatile gases of the onion and the water on the surface of your eye it is logically impossible that having something in your mouth while cutting an onion would prevent this reaction from occurring. Any success with this method sounds more like a self-fulfilling prophecy than an actual remedy.
As for me, I follow the old adage: “If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen”
posted by Florida on 6-26-2008 at 9:06 am
I am obsessed with Take Home Chef and Curtis Stone always says your eyes well up if the knife is too dull so use a good sharp knife and it should help.
Don’t know about that yet as all my knives are cheapies.
posted by Brittany on 6-26-2008 at 10:32 am
I love onions. I always have. There is family lore on how as a small tot I would bite into whole raw onions.
The most comforting smell to me, the one I most associate with home and family is the smell of frying onions.
posted by Hannah on 6-26-2008 at 11:30 am
I’ve always loved onions…fried, raw, roasted…it doesn’t matter.
I’ve heard that having a candle burning next to your cutting surface helps get rid of some of the fumes. I usually have a candle burning in the kitchen, anyway, so this isn’t too much trouble. I’m not really sure if it helps or not.
Also, to get rid of the onion smell on your hands, rub a stainless steel spoon on your hands under cool running water. It seriously works to neutralize the odor. I actually bought a stainless steel bar of “soap” specifically made for this purpose.
posted by bre on 6-26-2008 at 12:46 pm
I love onions. I’ll eat them in salads, on top of burgers (a soy burger topped with ketchup, onions, and hot peppers is a truly wonderful thing), or just by themselves. I will not, however, eat a cooked onion. They still taste okay, I guess, but the texture is absolutely disgusting.
posted by S on 6-26-2008 at 2:34 pm
I get severe eye pain (much more than others I know) if I do not do the following:
1) Use an extremely sharp knife - Dull knives crush more cell walls thereby releasing more vapors.
2) Keep an open-flame candle right next to the workspace. Note: a jar-style (i.e. Yankee) scent candle will not work; the flame must be exposed.
Alternately, you can fill your kitchen sink with cold water and cut the bulb under water, but I always feel like I am washing away the flavorful oils when I do this.
posted by n2y2 on 6-26-2008 at 3:10 pm
Once when I was about 3 years old, my dad and I were at home waiting for my mom to come home from work so we could go grocery shopping. There was no food in the house, and I kept whining about wanting something to eat. The only thing in the pantry was a potato and some onions, and I asked my dad if I could eat the onion (I probably thought it closely resembled an apple, whereas the potato was all dirty and lumpy). My dad suggested that I might want to eat the potato instead, but I threw a fit, insisting that the onion would make a better snack. Getting tired of my screaming and crying, he finally let me have the onion. Shut me up reaaaal quick.
For the longest time, I couldn’t eat any kind of onion, cooked or raw. 20 years later I can now eat cooked onions, but raw onions still make me gag. Thanks daddy!
posted by Jess on 6-26-2008 at 3:42 pm
I put my little electric fan on the countertop, and aim the stream of air over the cutting board. The vapors get blown to the left, instead of going up to my face.
posted by Tdave on 6-27-2008 at 1:20 am
Cute story…my 3-year-old niece likes to help cook, so she was cutting up an onion (with a butter knife), and it was making her eyes sting & tear up. But since she didn’t know onions do that & wasn’t expecting it, she didn’t know what was causing it. She wiped her eyes a few times with her sleeve, and then in frustration said, “What’s wrong with my eyes?” It was so adorable!
posted by Julie on 6-27-2008 at 12:25 pm
This is weird, but the only onions I like are on White Castle sandwiches. Does anybody know what kind they are?
posted by Reggie on 6-27-2008 at 10:14 pm