onion

The onion (Allium cepa L., from Latin cepa "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. Its close relatives include the garlic, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onion.This genus also contains several other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion (Allium fistulosum), the tree onion (A. ×proliferum), and the Canada onion (Allium canadense). The name "wild onion" is applied to a number of Allium species, but A. cepa is exclusively known from cultivation. Its ancestral wild original form is not known, although escapes from cultivation have become established in some regions. The onion is most frequently a biennial or a perennial plant, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested in its first growing season.
The onion plant has a fan of hollow, bluish-green leaves and its bulb at the base of the plant begins to swell when a certain day-length is reached. The bulbs are composed of shortened, compressed, underground stems surrounded by fleshy modified scale (leaves) that envelop a central bud at the tip of the stem. In the autumn (or in spring, in the case of overwintering onions), the foliage dies down and the outer layers of the bulb become dry and brittle. The crop is harvested and dried and the onions are ready for use or storage. The crop is prone to attack by a number of pests and diseases, particularly the onion fly, the onion eelworm, and various fungi cause rotting. Some varieties of A. cepa, such as shallots and potato onions, produce multiple bulbs.
Onions are cultivated and used around the world. As a food item, they are usually served cooked, as a vegetable or part of a prepared savoury dish, but can also be eaten raw or used to make pickles or chutneys. They are pungent when chopped and contain certain chemical substances which irritate the eyes.

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  1. Mountain Cat

    Recipe Potato, Mushroom & Onion Casserole

    A recipe from The City Tavern Cookbook: Recipes from the Birthplace of American Cuisine, by Walter Staib. This one is on page 218. Part of the CookingBites Cookbook Challenge, #6. Herein, the recipe's author combines cookery ideas from both Mary Randolph (The Virginia Housewife, ) and...
  2. SatNavSaysStraightOn

    Onion Skin Ash

    What's she talking about? Well, hubby sent me a link about it because I collect and store all of our onion skins, red or brown, to use as a natural dye for my spinning. It produces a lovely rich bronze colour and saves me walking to the compost heap every time I cut up an onion. However, it...
  3. Mountain Cat

    Recipe Pork Chops, with Apple and Onion

    This is something I made back in 2013. Serves 2 (although in my case I kept eating until they were gone…) You can cook this ahead of time for lunches to bring to work, which is what I’d planned to do with the second chop…. Except... 2 bone-in pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick. 1 apple, cored...
  4. SatNavSaysStraightOn

    Recipe Onion Squash, Parsnip and Ginger Soup

    This is from the book Green Word Cookbook by Rachel Demuth as part of the Cookbook Challenge no 5. The recipe is straight forward enough, though my ability to obtain Onion Squash was a challenge but I did have something that looked the same as the picture, I just don't think that it was an...
  5. J

    Cebollitas (grilled green onions)

    I've just been trying to look up recipes, and I've seen grilling times at medium-high heat ranging from 2 minutes per side to 10 minutes per side to cooking in a foil package for 20 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes per side… All claiming to want the exact same end result, softened onions with...
  6. Yorky

    Recipe Spicy Spring Rolls

    Ingredients 750 gm Potatoes 4 tblsp Vegetable oil 1 Medium size onion, finely chopped 175 gm Peas, shelled 1 tblsp Ginger, finely grated 3 Fresh red chilies, finely chopped 3 tblsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped 3 tblsp Water 1 1/2 tsp Salt 1 tsp Ground coriander seeds 1 tsp Garam masala 1...
  7. Spanish-potatoes-03-Add-onions-etc.jpg

    Spanish-potatoes-03-Add-onions-etc.jpg

  8. Morning Glory

    Recipe Black Tomato, Cheese & Onion Quiche

    The tomatoes used here are home-grown "Indigo Rose". This variety is supposed to be a true superfood with extremely high levels of vitamins and antioxidants, specially bred for extra nutrition and containing the same antioxidants as blueberries. They do have a lovely intense flavour and look...
  9. TastyReuben

    Recipe Potato Onion Apple Gratin

    Ingredients 12 TBsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter, divided 2 lbs onions, sliced 2 TBsp (packed) chopped fresh thyme 4 tsp fine sea salt, divided 2/3 cup water 2/3 cup dry white wine 4 tsp sugar 2 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold, yellow Finn, or German Butterball potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds 2 lbs...
  10. Morning Glory

    Recipe Cauliflower with Mace & Onion Sauce

    Somehow this seems to me to be a very English dish - I think its because of the use of mace and boiled onions which seems quaintly old-fashioned. The sauce makes a great alternative to the usual cheese sauce. The onions make it rather sweet but the mace stops it being cloying. Its a lovely...
  11. MypinchofItaly

    Recipe Baked onions

    Serves 2, Preparation time 10 minutes, Cooking time 20 minutes 4 medium-sized white onions a clove of peeled garlic breadcrumbs to taste Grated Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese, to taste Evoo oil, 2 tbsp a sprig of fresh parsley some leaves of fresh thyme turmeric powder, a pinch salt and pepper...
  12. Onions Frittata

    Onions Frittata

  13. Yorky

    Recipe Chicken Kolhapuri (extra spicy version)

    Ingredients 500 gm Chicken breast 1 Onion, coarsely chopped 8 Garlic cloves, chopped 3 tsp Ginger, peeled and chopped Onion, ginger, garlic. by Yorky posted 26 Jun 2019 at 9:37 AM 3 tblsp Ghee 1 tsp ground turmeric 2 tsp ground coriander seeds 1 tsp ground cumin seeds 1 tsp chilli powder...
  14. J

    The best onions to use with cucumbers?

    I'm talking about standard American cucumbers, if that makes a difference. I'm planning to make a cucumber and radish salsa, but I'm thinking ahead to cucumber salads in the summertime as well. My husband and I are not fans of white, yellow, or brown onions. We love the red ones, but I don't...
  15. Morning Glory

    Recipe Red Onion Tart with Parsley and Parmesan

    Caramelised onions have a wonderful sweet flavour which works well with the slightly fruity and nutty taste of a good Parmesan. The parsley adds a mild bitter and mineral note which brightens the flavour. This makes a great simple vegetarian lunch together with a green salad. To make it vegan...
  16. Mountain Cat

    Recipe Cauliflower & Onion Pakoras (Indian)

    These are vegan. I love them. I had to do my best to re-create them after ordering them a couple times at an Indian restaurant a little out of my way for regular visits. More local restaurants to me seem to lack this wonderful food! This recipe is also gluten-free if that is something you...
  17. SatNavSaysStraightOn

    Recipe Red Onion and Grape Chutney

    With the current ingredient challenge being grapes, it got me thinking about chutneys. I eat them pretty much everyday. My lunch is the same everyday and I vary it with the use of chutney. But chutneys have a lot of sugar in them if you're not careful and as I sat there looking at the amount of...
  18. Yorky

    Recipe Bratkartoffeln

    Ingredients 700g potatoes, peeled and sliced (around 10mm) ½ tblsp Olive oil (see note in "method") 2 Onions, chopped 6 Rashers streaky bacon, chopped Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tblsp Chopped fresh parsley Method Par-boil the potatoes (around 10 minutes), drain and allow to cool...
  19. SatNavSaysStraightOn

    Recipe Moroccan Tomato, Lentil and Onion Soup

    This is a lovely soup, totally different to most of my other soups in that the flavour is quite delicate and light, yet the soup is very filling. All of the spices are best freshly ground if you can. Serves 6 Ingredients 1 tbsp Olive oil 2 medium to large onions, sliced 2 stalks of celery...
  20. rascal

    Curried onions

    my nanas secret recipe, no, I don't give it out. I make about 40 to 60 kgs every year. I give or swap most of them. Today I bought 2x 10kg bags, peeled 1 bag ready for bottling tomorrow night. Pics to follow. Served with cheese n crackers. Russ
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