Onion
More Onion Trivia by SmartHerbals:
Onions were once thought to be part of the lily family, but now are considered part of the amaryllis family.
Each year, a hundred million dry onions are produced worldwide.
Allium species grow in a wide variety of habitats, although most grow in arid and moderately humid regions.
All parts of the onion plant can be consumed by humans.
The most widely-cultivated onion is Allium cepa, but which species it was domesticated from is not known.
The ancient Egyptians used onions during the mummification process (mainly to pack the body, but also to simulate the eye in the mummy of Ramesses IV), probably due to some onion compounds’ antimicrobial and UV-blocking properties.
Onion arrived in Europe on two trade routes, leading to pungent long-day varieties developing in northern Europe, and milder short-day varieties developing in southern Europe.
To produce onion seeds, different varieties need to be planted 4 kilometres apart to prevent cross-breeding.
Sources:
Chase MW, Reveal JL, Fay MF (2009). A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161:132-136. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x
Fritsch RM, Friesen N (2002). Evolution, domestication and taxonomy. Allium crop science: recent advances, 5-30.
Abdel-Maksoud G, El-Amin A-R (2011) A review on the materials used during the mummification processes in ancient Egypt. Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 11:129-150. doi:
Shigo M, Kik (2008) Onion. In: Prohens, J., Nuez, F. (eds) Vegetables II. Handbook of Plant Breeding, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-74110-9_4
Image: Adobe Stock - Sibashouse
