Onions are used as vegetables and are cultivated around the world. They have a pungent odour and in some communities onions are considered as an aphrodisiac. Cutting onions emit certain compounds which cause the glands in the eyes to become irritated, thus releasing tears.
Usage
Onions are available in yellow, red or purple and white color. Yellow onions are added to soups to get a sweet flavor. It is mostly used as a compulsory additive to most of the savory dishes. It can be baked, boiled, braised, fried, roasted, sautéed or eaten raw like a side dish or added to various kinds of salads and soups.
In some places, it is also made in to a chutney or onion pickle. It has been used for numerous purposes from a very long time. In ancient Greece and Rome, doctors advised onions to anybody suffering from irregular bowel movement, headaches, cough, and snakebite or hair loss. It was also used to make poutices and in the preparation of dyes.
Nutritional Value
1. Onions contain flavonoids that act as antioxidants and prevent tumors.
2. They are very god for the liver, due to the large amount of sulphur present in them.
3. They are a rich source of quercitin and therefore helps lower cholesterol, prevents blood clotting, asthma and chronic bronchitis.
4. Onion is considered to be the best source of quercetic that is anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and antiviral and prevents various kinds of cancers.
5. Amino acids, methionine and cystine present in onions help detoxify the body from heavy metals.
In the Middle Ages, onions were such an important food that people would pay their rent with onions, and even give them as gifts.
Eye irritation can be avoided by cutting onions under running water or leaving the root end intact.
