Onion – Allium cepa

Description

Onion is a vegetable in the Allium genus, which includes garlic and chives. For more than 5,000 years, this distance cousin to amaryllis has been cultivated as a food crop.

Most people have experienced tearing from chopping a raw onion, which is caused by a reaction between alliinase enzymes in the vegetable and oxygen in the air. Using dried, chopped onion not only eliminates this response, but also has the added benefit of an extended shelf life.
The onion, also called bulb onion, is a prominent member of the allium family, which includes garlic, scallions and several wild species. However, although Allium cepa has been cultivated for more than 7,000 years all over the globe, it is virtually unknown in the wild. In fact, the ancestry of the common onion is a bit of a mystery.

This herb and vegetable has a long history of use in cooking by virtually every world culture. It also has a reputation for warding off evil spirits and ill health. In addition to lending ?heat? and pungency to foods, onion also provides vitamin C. folic acid, B vitamins and several antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin.