Onion: season and benefits
Seasonal calendar - Onion
Nutritional values
Onion contains quercetin, a powerful antioxidant, and provides vitamin C and potassium.
Storage
Dried onions keep several months in a cool, dry, ventilated place, ideally braided. Never place in the fridge or near potatoes (which speed up sprouting). A cut onion keeps 7 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Fresh (spring) onions keep only 1 week.
Origin
The onion is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables, grown for at least 5,000 years in Central Asia. Egyptians venerated it: its concentric layers symbolised eternal life, and onions were found in pharaonic tombs. Romans consumed it daily. The Cévennes sweet onion, the Roscoff pink and the Trébons onion are exceptional French varieties.
Cooking Onion
Goes well with
Recipe ideas
- French onion soup
- Onion tart
- Onion chutney
- Stuffed onions
- Pissaladière
Did you know?
Onions make you cry because of syn-propanethial-S-oxide, an irritant gas released when cells are cut. Tip: cut under water or after 15 minutes in the freezer.