ONIONS

Allium cepa

Wild members of the allium family are found worldwide. A widespread and ancient plant, the onion may have originated in Central Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean or, possibly, North America. No one can pin it down. The Sumerians, writing in about 3000 BC, first mentioned the onion, paired with barley in a bread. The Egyptians ate them too, and used onions to replace eyeballs removed from mummies. The Chinese were big on onions, along with garlic and ginger and the Romans ate onions with bread for breakfast.

Americans were eating wild onions for centuries—a large patch grew in what is today Chicago. Stories differ as to whether the Potowatomi named it "checagou," meaning place that stinks of wild onions, or whether the Menominee named it "shika’ko," meaning skunk place, which actually referred to the onions. In any event, most of the onions eaten today in North America derive from European and Asian varieties, not the local offerings.

Onion1 images/onion1.jpg

Onion varieties make the cover of a 1906 seed catalog ( HFCA)

Onion2
Onion2
California onion field in bloom (1920's photo) ( HFCA)

Onion3
Onion3
Indiana family weeding an onion field (1912 booklet, Onions &
Independence ( HFCA )

Onion4
Onion4
Onion heads cartoon (Germany 1900's) (HFCA)

Onion5
Onion6
Onion head doll (USA 1990's) (HFCA)

Home
Go back