:Red onion
{{Short description|Onion cultivar}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox cultivar
| name = Red onion
| genus = Allium
| species =Allium cepa
| image = Red Onion on White.JPG
| image_caption = A red onion
}}
File:Red onions (cross-sections).jpg
Red onions (also known as purple or blue onions in some mainland European countries) are cultivars of the onion (Allium cepa), and have purplish-red skin and white flesh tinged with red. They are most commonly used in cooking, but the skin has also been used as a dye.Ernest Small, {{google books|nyWY_YkV7qAC|Top 100 Food Plants|page=367}}
Red onions tend to be medium to large in size and have a sweeter flavor than white or yellow onions due to low levels of pyruvic acid and sulfur compounds. They are often consumed raw (and can be added to salads for color and bite), grilled, or lightly cooked with other foods.{{cite web |title=Glossary |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/onion |access-date=28 June 2017 |publisher=bbcgoodfood.com}} Red onions are available throughout the year and are high in flavonoids{{cite journal|title=Flavonoid and Carbohydrate Contents in Tropea Red Onions: Effects of Homelike Peeling and Storage |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |volume=50 |issue=7 |pages=1904–1910 |doi=10.1021/jf011102r |pmid=11902931 |year = 2002|last1 = Gennaro|first1 = Laura|last2=Leonardi |first2=Cherubino |last3=Esposito |first3=Fabrizio |last4=Salucci |first4=Monica |last5=Maiani |first5=Giuseppe |last6=Quaglia |first6=Giovanni |last7=Fogliano |first7=Vincenzo |bibcode=2002JAFC...50.1904G }} and fiber (compared to white and yellow onions).Bill Jones {{google books|t5VQCgAAQBAJ|The Deerholme Vegetable Cookbook|page=24}} Cut red onion can be soaked in cool water for a period of time, and the water can be drained off, resulting in less "bite" and pungency.{{cite web| title=Take the Bite Out of Raw Onions |url=https://www.thekitchn.com/take-the-bite-out-of-raw-onions-with-this-one-simple-step-61685}}
Varieties
= Tropea =
The red onion from Tropea, Italy, (Italian: "Cipolla Rossa di Tropea") grows in a small area of Calabria in southern Italy, Capo Vaticano, near the city of Tropea.{{cite web|url=http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2004/08/06/54591/flavour-of-the-med.html |title=Flavour of the Med - 6 August 2004 |publisher=CatererSearch |date=6 August 2004 |access-date=19 September 2013}} This onion has a stronger and sweeter aroma and the inner part is juicier and whiter than other red onions and it is possible to make a jam with it. In July 2007, the European Union registered the Protected geographical indication mark for the red onions produced in this particular area in Italy.{{Cite web |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:160:0015:0018:EN:PDF |title='CIPOLLA ROSSA DI TROPEA CALABRIA' - Official Journal of the European Union |date=2007-07-13 |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=EUR-lex |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127034002/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:160:0015:0018:EN:PDF |archive-date=2024-01-27 |url-status=live |language=en}}
= Turda =
The red onion from Turda (Cluj County,{{cite journal|last1=OANCEA|first1=SIMONA|last2=DRĂGHICI|first2=OLGA|title=pH and Thermal Stability of Anthocyanin-based Optimised Extracts of Romanian Red Onion Cultivars.|journal= Czech Journal of Food Sciences|date=May 2013|volume=31|issue=3|pages=283–291|doi=10.17221/302/2012-CJFS|doi-access=free}} Central Romania) (Romanian: "Ceapa de Turda",{{cite web|title=Onion Turda on the Harvest Day in Cluj|date=8 October 2013 |url=http://turdanews.net/articole/actualitate/26877-ceapa-de-turda-la-ziua-recoltei-de-la-cluj.html|publisher=turdanews.net|access-date=30 June 2017|language=ro}}) is a local variety of red onion with light sweeter taste and particular aroma. The area of cultivation encompass the lower Arieș valley and the middle Mureș valley.{{Cn|date=February 2021}}
Turda onion bulbs are traditionally intertwined into long strings (1–2 m) for marketing purposes and can be found at the traditional markets all over central Romania. "Turda Red Onion" is usually served fresh, as a salad or part of mixed salads and especially as a compulsory garnish for the traditional bean-and-smoked ham soups.{{Cn|date=February 2021}}
= Wethersfield =
In the United States, one of the most prominent cultivars of red onion was grown in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and was a major source of onions for New England until the late 1800s."[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0916FC3B5413738DDDAB0894DE405B8984F0D3 A Great Trade Vanished. How Connecticut's Onion Monopoly Was Lost]", The New York Times, 2 June 1889"[http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2008-09/interact/10things/oniontown/all Wethersfield, CT, and Onions]", Yankee Magazine, August 1993
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References
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External links
{{Commons category|Red onions}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110304004327/http://www.avrdc.org/LC/onion/practices.html Onion Cultivation at the World Vegetable Center]
- [http://www.cipollatropea.it/cipollaTropea.htm The red onion of Tropea (Italian)]
- [http://www.tropea.org/language/the_red_onion.html Vacanze in Calabria: The red onion of Tropea]
{{Allium}}