Onion

The onion is thought to have originated in Western Asia, where it was already known in early antiquity (around 3400 BC) as a spice and vegetable. It is recorded that workers building the pyramids in Egypt were provided with a daily ration of leeks or other members of the onion family. This was possibly done to prevent various diseases in the densely populated workers’ quarters. Onions are a borderline case: they are regarded as both a vegetable and a spice. The Old Testament contains records suggesting that the Israelites, whilst fleeing Egypt towards the Promised Land, are said to have subsisted partly on onions. Both onions and leeks are mentioned in ancient Babylonian texts. The onion (Allium cepa) was brought to Europe by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, onions were often grown in monastery gardens. The strongly scented bulbs were said to ‘draw diseases from the body and drive away evil’.

Botanically speaking, the onion belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family (Amaryllidaceae) and is known as Allium cepa. Allium is the botanical name for leek, whilst the species name cepa means ‘onion’.

There is a vast variety of different onion plants, including shallots, spring onions, garlic, chives and, of course, the well-known fine- or coarse-stemmed chives, to name but a few.

In this herb guide, however, we would like to limit ourselves to the onion/kitchen onion = Allium cepa.

Summer onions are sown or planted in early spring and harvested in August/September. Winter onions – which might more accurately be called overwintering onions – are sown or planted in late summer and harvested the following spring. Well-drained, humus-rich garden soil is required. Please take care when hoeing, as the onion has a shallow root system.

The onion stems are also the leaves. They are round, hollow and fleshy. They grow to a height of up to 50 cm. To harvest the onion bulb, pull it out of the ground and leave it to ripen on the bed for a few more days. The bulbs should be kept in a cool room for storage and to dry out fully. The attractive, plaited onion braids are also well known and well suited to storage.

You really couldn’t find a better or more readily available remedy than the onion. In terms of its medicinal properties, the onion features in practically every letter of our alphabet: A – antibacterial / B – bloating / F – fever / H – hoarseness / S – scurvy / V – digestion

There are many ways to use the onion as a remedy, such as for insect bites, by cutting an onion in half and rubbing the cut surface over the bite. Steamed onion slices help with nail bed infections and slow-healing wounds. Onion juice provides relief from rheumatic complaints, as well as from ringworm and dandruff.

Onions contain sulphur-containing compounds which are broken down enzymatically when chopped. When an onion is chopped, propanthial S oxides are produced, which cause the eyes to water.

The Swiss herbalist and pastor Künzle (1857–1945) also reported significant healing effects: “Chopped or sliced onions draw out the pathogenic substance so vigorously that they turn completely black and become foul-smelling; the pathogenic toxin is simply absorbed by the onions”. As in earlier times the ‘simple and common folk’ often could not afford the costs of doctors and medicines, the onion was a welcome remedy for all manner of ailments.

The ways in which onions are used vary greatly from region to region. Onion tart and onion soup, which, according to tradition, reach their culinary and cultural peak at the Bern Onion Market. Boiled and steamed onions have a mild, rather sweet flavour and are therefore often used as a vegetable here. Stuffed and steamed onions are particularly well known, for example with a mushroom and cheese filling.

Dried onions, on the other hand, have a different flavour and develop an aroma very similar to that of garlic. Dried onions are very popular in the United States and also in Mexico, where they are used, amongst other things, in chilli con carne, together with other aromatic spices.

In Indian cuisine, onions are very frequently used as a base for sauces. This was not always the case, however, as in ancient India onions were highly frowned upon and were therefore rarely eaten. The onion was the food of the lower castes, as it was considered to have a foul odour.

In many countries around the world today, paste-like spice mixtures are made by grinding onions together with other spices and herbs. These pastes are often used to marinate meat and fish.