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Onions
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Identity card
Name: Onion (Allium cepa).
Type of product: Herbaceous biennial plant, cultivated as an annual, which originates from central east Asia. It is a member of the lily family.
Colour and texture: The bulb can be white, yellow, red or purple. The bulb is made up of fleshy leaves.
Area of production: A vegetable cultivated throughout Italy. |
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A vegetable of great importance in Italian cuisine, the onion is one of the basic ingredients of pasta sauces. However, due to its widespread, year-round availability and the many varieties in existence, the onion is also a main ingredient in many other recipes. Nevertheless, it is important to choose the right type of onion for each recipe.
The colours of the main varieties of onion, white, yellow, red or purple paint a colourful picture. Amongst the most widely used white Italian onions are the May White, with a flat, white bulb and the giant June White which is round and very large. The most common yellow onion, on the other hand, is the Dorata di Parma, while the pointed Ramata di Milano, and the prized Rossa di Tropea, cultivated in Calabria, are the most distinguished reds.
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USE OF THE ONION IN COOKING |
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The onion is very versatile in the kitchen, but a few basic rules should be followed. If it is to be eaten raw, then choose Rossa di Tropea which has a mild, sweet taste compared to other varieties. The white onion is also very good sliced in a salad, although it must be very fresh, or the spring onion, which is a young onion picked before it is mature. It is worth knowing that the best spring onions are the oval-shaped ones, and that their leaves are also edible. Purple onions, which have a more pronounced, harsh flavour, are more suited to cooking. Last but not least is the small variety of onion with a diameter of less than 3 centimetres which is used almost exclusively for pickling.
Onions appear in an infinite number of recipes. On their own they can be baked or boiled and dressed with oil and vinegar. In addition to pasta sauces, they are found with other ingredients in tasty main dishes, omelettes, soups and stews, or in addition to celery and carrots they can be used to flavour broths and boiled meat dishes. Also worth mentioning are the traditional dishes of liver and salt cod with onion. Care must be taken never to cook them for too long, however, as they are tastier if still a little "al dente" and allowed to keep their texture.
Finally, there is a widespread myth which should be dispelled: onions must never be sliced under running water. Although it will prevent eyes watering, the onions will lose some of their flavour.
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