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Onion

Onions come in many varieties, some sweet, some tangy, but all are good for the body and good as an ingredient in main dishes.

They can make you cry if you let them, but they really are not bad. In some settings they can be stinky beyond belief, but are a fine complement to steaks.

Bulb onions (most varieties) are okay eaten raw. They are thick sliced to be put on burgers and other sandwiches. Onions are also found on tops of salads. Green onions are an ingredient in vegetable dips and on salads. White onions are common in Mexican cuisine. Onions are chopped up for Pico de Gallo and salsa.

Onions can be purchased at all times of the year. If you can’t find them at your local farmer’s market, they can be found in grocery stores who buy onions from other countries. The most useful onion is the red onion. It can be diced up for use in salads like macaroni or pasta salad. This onion can also be grilled and friend.

Onion trivia

Just where did onions come from? It is believed to have originated somewhere in the Middle East. Onions come in three colors: white, yellow, and red. Each onion has a papery outer skin that protects the inner softer layers. An onion has several layers that get smaller as you get closer to the middle. It is a veggie that reminds me of a flower. The narcissus is a relative of the onion.

As well as a main ingredient in onion soup or a salads, onions are a condiment.

Storage

For extra onions you have on hand, store them before they become soft and mushy. Cut them up and blanch them. The onion chunks are frozen on a flat cookie sheet and then placed in a freezer bag or container.

Preparation and cooking

Onions are cut into chunks and skewered for shish kebabs. They are sautéed with steaks and used in sauces. Yellow onions are caramelized to be used in French onion soup. Some people even dare to eat onions raw like an apple. Sweet Vidalia onions are supposed to be just that good that they can do that.

Onions can be flowered and deep fried to produce the blooming onion so popular in restaurants today. Before the blooming variety became so popular, people ate tons of onion rings.

The first step for many dishes and sauces is frying onion, finely chopped. Onions can be used as condiment.

Nutritional value

A serving is 1 cup (160g) of raw diced onion. A serving only has 64 calories.

Onions don't have many calories - which makes them a good addition in any weight loss diet - and their nutritional value is not particularly high. They have an appreciable amount of calcium, some vitamin C, fiber and that's about it. They are considered a healthy food more for their strong anti-inflamatory properties.

Besides the tangy taste that onions add to all the dishes they flavor, they are quite good for a person’s health. They are fat and cholesterol free and contain lots of other nutrients that protect against various forms of cancer, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, and heart disease. Onions contain, for instance, quercetin, a potent anti-oxidant.


Onion - bulb onions, Spanish onions, Japanese onions, spring onions, green onions, Vidalia, scallions, pickling onions, shallots, Egyptian or tree onion, bunching onions or ciboule, chibol, sprout, fistulosum.

allium cepa (Alliaceae)