Onion

Onions along with shallots, leeks, chives and garlic, belong to the Allium family, which including wild varieties has some 325 members. All have the characteristic onion smell, which is caused by volatile acids just below the skin. Onions have been eaten for thousands of years. They are believed to have originally come from the Middle East and their easy cultivation suggests that their use spread quickly. By the Middle Ages onions were a common vegetable throughout Europe and would have been used in soups, stews and sauces when strong flavouring was preferred.