Interesting facts

The origin of the scientific name Allium is not known. The term probably comes from the language of the original inhabitants of southern Italy, the Messapii. Today, few traces remain of this language. The scientific epithet cepa is derived from the Latin cepe = onion. The English word onion is also thought to derive from Latin: the word unio originally applied to a particular species of pearl-like onion.

There is evidence that the onion has been in use as a medicine, flavouring and vegetable for more than 5000 years in its native Asia. In the early Neolithic Age it arrived in China and India, where it was regarded as a potent protection against infectious diseases. In China the onion is synonymous with intelligence. Midwives there touch the head of a newborn baby with an onion to ensure cleverness.

The Egyptians sacrificed onions to the gods, fed them to the workmen building the pyramids and placed them with the dead as sustenance on their journey through eternity. It was thought that the growth of the onion was related to the phases of the moon. Priests dedicated them to the goddess Isis, mistress of the cycles of the moon and of women, and protectress of the water of life. The onion was also thought to have aphrodisiac properties – the Ancient Egyptian word for testis is the same as that for onion.

In the North American steppes Native Americans harvested wild onions as vegetables and used them for medicinal purposes. ‘Chicago’ can be translated as ‘place of the wild onion’.

The Romans brought the onion to Europe, probably from Asia, and spread its cultivation in the course of their military campaigns. However, they regarded this vegetable as a poor-man’s food, and in better circles it was despised for its smell. Nevertheless the onion became one of the most common vegetable species in Europe. In the 15th century the Dutch began to cultivate diverse kinds which differed in form, colour and flavour.
Many myths and legends surround the onion. To it was ascribed the ability to bind poisons, evil and dark powers and thus to keep them away from human beings. Everywhere in Europe there were customs involving hanging onions in houses and stables and over sickbeds or wearing them as amulets. They were supposed to protect against disease, demons and envious eyes.

Some tried using onions to foretell the future. An onion was cut and 12 ‘cups’ made from its layers. These were sprinkled with salt and laid out on Christmas or New Year’s Eve to form the onion calendar. Each ‘cup’ stood for a month. The amount of water that had collected in the ‘cups’ the following day indicated how wet the relevant month would be. Between Christmas and Epiphany, young women wishing to marry placed one onion in the parlour for each possible suitor. If one of them sprouted, she would be married that year.

Why do onions make us cry? When we cut them, they release propanthial S-oxide. An enzyme in the cell wall produces this sulfur compound as soon as the onion is injured. In the wild this clever mechanism protects the plant effectively from animals that might want to eat it.
Meat cooks appreciate onions not only for their flavour. Marinating tough meat overnight in a mixture of onion juice and olive oil makes it beautifully tender.