Why are shallots more expensive than onions?

[JAS_OH1]

I love shallots. I've been pondering why they cost more than regular onions. I can get white or yellow onions for about .80 cents to $1 per lb., red onions for a little more. I think I paid $3 for a 3/4 lb. bag of shallots recently. Anyone have an idea why they cost more?

 

[flyinglentris]

I love scallions. I've been pondering why they cost more than regular onions. I can get white or yellow onions for about .80 cents to $1 per lb., red onions for a little more. I think I paid $3 for a 3/4 lb. bag of scallions recently. Anyone have an idea why they cost more?

Regular onions are kept dry at room temperature. Scallions and green onions are kept cool or refrigerated, hence the added cost. They require more care in shipping and at the grocer.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Regular onions are kept dry at room temperature. Scallions and green onions are kept cool or refrigerated, hence the added cost. They require more care in shipping and at the grocer.

I meant shallots. Oops, I'll have to edit my thread. Scallions (AKA green onions) are cheap. I've got a lot of green onions growing in my garden, they come back every year. I bought some few years back and planted the roots after using the upper portion. The snow and ice don't kill them, thankfully.

 

[caseydog]

Onions are pedestrian, while shallots are "chefy."

CD

 

[JAS_OH1]

Onions are pedestrian, while shallots are "chefy."

CD

They taste very similar to red onion...I guess they are slightly milder in flavor.

 

[TastyReuben]

They taste very similar to red onion...I guess they are slightly milder in flavor.

I use them primarily in pan sauces and salad dressings.

I found this on a website called Alice's Kitchen:

The reason for the expensive prices of shallots compared to onions all comes down to availability. Onions are a more hardy crop and can grow in a wide variety of climates and conditions, and at temperatures as low as twenty-one degrees Fahrenheit or minus six Celsius. Shallots on the other hand require much warmer temperatures, with the lowest they can grow in being thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit or one degree Celsius.

As a result, onions can be grown in more countries around the world than shallots. Over seventy-five million tonnes of onions are grown each year in over one hundred and seventy countries. However, in the case of shallots only around four million tonnes are grown globally, with the majority coming from Mexico.
Additionally, in countries such as the United States, there are tariffs on goods from Mexico which can increase the prices further in regions and limit the number of shallots that are imported to the country.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I use them primarily in pan sauces and salad dressings.

I found this on a website called Alice's Kitchen:

Guess I'd better start a crop in the spring.

Apparently they aren't hard to grow and can be started in the fall, too.

How to Grow Shallots - FineGardening

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Onions are pedestrian, while shallots are "chefy."

CD

As funny as this is, its true, its probably just a function of supply and demand. Most recipes in our hemisphere call for Onions... are shallots more favored in European cuisines?
I never even used a shallot until I was in my 20's and was trying to make something fancy LOL

 

[flyinglentris]

There are probably fewer sources of shallots, than of onions, as shallots are less commonly used. Thus they are rarer and pricier.

 

[LissaC]

As funny as this is, its true, its probably just a function of supply and demand. Most recipes in our hemisphere call for Onions... are shallots more favored in European cuisines?
I never even used a shallot until I was in my 20's and was trying to make something fancy LOL

Most european recipes uses onions I believe. And here in Portugal shallots are barely used at all.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Most european recipes uses onions I believe. And here in Portugal shallots are barely used at all.

Interesting. It might just be a French thing. I do like them, though.

 

[Morning Glory]

Interesting. It might just be a French thing. I do like them, though.

Many recipes in the UK use them - but then again, many recipes here use onions too. I like shallots because you can cook them whole - and banana shallots (which is what I usually have) are very easy to slice (being a long shape).

Banana shallots are apparently a cross between onions and shallots.

 

[LissaC]

Interesting. It might just be a French thing. I do like them, though.

It's probably because we are a poor country

 

[karadekoolaid]

Shallots are a bit more difficult to grow than onions. I´d say the flavour is somwhere between an onion and garlic.
And they´re probably more expensive because " échalotes" are associated with French haute cuisine!

 

[TastyReuben]

Another question is, how do you pronounce it? I've heard TV chefs say SHALL-its, to rhyme with mallets and I've heard others say sha-LOTS, with the emphasis strongly on that last syllable, like the poem, The Lady Of Shalott.