General Information
The humble onion, Allium cepa, has been a staple part of diets in all periods of history and nearly all nations1 of the world. Ancient Greek athletes consumed them for fortification; Pliny the Elder – the well-known Roman observer and documenter – prescribed onions as a cure for a toothache and dysentery; the Pilgrim travelers took onions with them to the New World, but found wild onions to be ubiquitous and widely consumed; Elizabethans used onions to clean and strengthen the teeth.
Baby onions have a stronger, acrid flavor and are commonly used for pickling. Like many immature vegetables, they pack all the punch of the full-size vegetable into a smaller package! Whole baby onions are delicious roasted as an accompaniment to a traditional Sunday lunch.
