Allium cepa
From The Plant Encyclopedia
Onion
Aden Earth Zone
2 - 20
Cultivation
- Cultivation: For-Gardeners
- Light: Sun
- Soil: Rich
- pH: 7
- Moisture: Medium
Characteristics
- Form: Herbaceous
- Habit: Perennial
- Flower: Medium
- Fruit/Seed: Small
- Foliage: Leaves, Needles, Green
- Uses: Edible, Medicinal, Ornamental, Industrial
About
The onion (Allium cepa), also known as the bulb onion,[1] common onion[2] and garden onion,[citation needed] is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.[3] The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion (A. fistulosum), Egyptian onion (A. ×proliferum), and Canada onion (A. canadense).[2] The name "wild onion" is applied to a number of Allium species.
The vast majority of cultivars of A. cepa belong to the 'common onion group' (A. cepa var. cepa) and are usually referred to simply as 'onions'. The 'Aggregatum group' of cultivars (A. cepa var. aggregatum) includes both shallots and potato onions.
Allium cepa is known only in cultivation,[5] but related wild species occur in Central Asia. The most closely related species include Allium vavilovii (Popov & Vved.) and Allium asarense (R.M. Fritsch & Matin) from Iran.[6] However, Zohary and Hopf warn that "there are doubts whether the A. vavilovii collections tested represent genuine wild material or only feral derivatives of the crop."
Culinary uses
[edit]Specific dishes and cuisines
Onions are used as an aromatic in cooking. In the classic mirepoix, onion is used along with celery and carrots to flavor stocks, soups, stews and sauces. In Cajun cuisine, the holy trinity is onions, celery and bell pepper. Onions are widely used in Iran, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, and are essential to daily life in the local cuisine. They are commonly used as a base for curries or made into a paste and eaten as a main course or as a side dish.
Onions pickled in vinegar are eaten as a snack. These are often served as a side serving in fish and chip shops throughout the United Kingdom and Australia, often served with cheese in the United Kingdom, and are referred to simply as "pickled onions" in Eastern Europe.
[edit]Onion types and products
Common onions are normally available in three colors: yellow, red, and white. Yellow onions are full-flavored and are a reliable standby for cooking almost anything. Yellow onions turn a rich, dark brown when cooked and give French onion soup its tangy sweet flavor. The red onion is a good choice for fresh uses or in grilling and char-broiling. White onions are the traditional onion used in classic Mexican cuisine. They have a golden color and sweet flavor when sautéed.
While the large mature onion bulb is the onion most often eaten, onions can be eaten at immature stages. Young plants may be harvested before bulbing occurs and used whole as scallions.[8] When an onion is harvested after bulbing has begun but the onion is not yet mature, the plants are sometimes referred to as summer onions.[9]
Additionally, onions may be bred and grown to mature at smaller sizes. Depending on the mature size and the purpose for which the onion is used, these may be referred to as pearl, boiler, or pickler onions.[9] (However, true pearl onions are a different species.) Pearl and boiler onions may be cooked as a vegetable rather than an ingredient. Pickler onions are, unsurprisingly, often pickled.
Onion seed may be "sprouted", and the resulting sprouts used in salads, sandwiches, and other dishes. (See sprouting.)
Onions are available in fresh, frozen, canned, caramelized, pickled, powdered, chopped, and dehydrated forms.
Onion powder is a spice used for seasoning in cooking. It is made from finely ground, dehydrated onions, mainly the pungent varieties of bulb onions, which causes the powder to have a very strong odor. Onion powder comes in a few varieties: white, yellow, red and toasted.
Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on
Onion powder
Propagation
Onion and shallot output in 2005
Onion growing shoots
Onions may be grown from seed or, more commonly today, from sets started from seed the previous year. Onion sets are produced by sowing seed very thickly one year, resulting in stunted plants that produce very small bulbs. These bulbs are very easy to set out and grow into mature bulbs the following year, but they have the reputation of producing a less durable bulb than onions grown directly from seed and thinned.
Seed-bearing onions are day-length sensitive; their bulbs begin growing only after the number of daylight hours has surpassed some minimal quantity. Most traditional European onions are what is referred to as "long-day" onions, producing bulbs only after 15+ hours of daylight occur. Southern European and North African varieties are often known as "intermediate day" types, requiring only 12–13 hours of daylight to stimulate bulb formation. Finally, "short-day" onions, which have been developed in more recent times, are planted in mild-winter areas in the fall and form bulbs in the early spring, and require only 9–10 hours of sunlight to stimulate bulb formation.
Either planting method may be used to produce spring onions or green onions, which are the leaves of immature plants. Green onion is a name also used to refer to another species, Allium fistulosum, the Welsh onion, which does not form bulbs.
The tree onion produces bulblets instead of flowers and seeds, which can be planted directly in the ground.
I'itoi onion (Allium cepa) is a prolific multiplier onion cultivated near Baboquiviri, Arizona. They have a shallot-like flavor. They are easy to grow and ideal for hot, dry climates. To grow them, separate bulbs, and plant in the fall 1 inch below surface and 12 inches apart. Bulbs will multiply into clumps and can be harvested throughout the cooler months. Tops will die back in the heat of summer and may return with monsoon rains; bulbs can remain in the ground or be harvested and stored in a cool dry place for planting in the fall. The plants rarely flower; propagation is by division.
[edit]Non-culinary uses
Onions have particularly large cells that are readily observed at low magnification; consequently, onion tissue is frequently used in science education for demonstrating microscope usage.[10]
Onion skins have been used for dye
