History & Folklore
It is thought that the onion ) was domesticated or first produced about 6,000 years ago, or even earlier. Around 1700-1600 BC, in or around what is now Iran, ancient Babylonian tablets made the first recorded mention of onions. Onions are stated in the ancient Indian literature, the Vedas, and the Sumerians were cooking and farming onions 4,000 years ago. Throughout the Dark and Middle Ages, onions, along with beans and cabbage, were a staple of most meals for Europe's least fortunate residents. During the Renaissance, explorers carried onions and used them as food and medicine, planting them where colonies were established5. Onions are now grown in 170 different nations. The onion's pungent odor and immense potency eluded ancient man. An old Turkish story explains it rather nicely. When Satan was sent out of paradise, garlic sprouted where he positioned his left foot, and onions bloomed where he planted his right foot. When the epidemic swept over Eastern Europe, many people believed it was the act of an evil spirit, and they utilized garlic as well as onions as good luck symbols to ward off the demons. To ward off vampires, people hanged threads of onions and garlic from their windows, doorways, and even across their necks. (Mehta, 2017).
Habitat & Cultivation
In moderate to subtropical areas, onions are cultivated. Onions are a perineal crop that is cultivated every year. Various kinds of soil are used to cultivate onions. The best loams and sandy earth have good form and have acceptable levels of organic substance. The versatility of the onion—which may be used as fresh shoots for green salad onions and a bulb for cooking and eating (both raw and cooked), pickling, adding flavor to processed foods, dehydrating, and making seeds—makes it a valuable crop. In humid temperate zones, bulb and salad onions are grown via direct planting. In regions with low labor costs, nursery beds are also utilized for cultivation and plant growth. Transplanting is possible after seedlings have three to four leaves. Synthetic fertilizers have long been used to cultivate onions. Utilizing integrated crop management (ICM) methods, resource inputs may be decreased by lowering waste.
Parts used
Bulb
Constituents
Volatile oil
Allicin
Alliin
Flavonoids
Phenolic acids
Sterols
References
- Chevallier, Andrew, FNIMH; Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine - 550 Herbs and Remedies for Common Ailments; 3. Edition 2016; ISBN: 978-0-2412-2944-6; Page 164.
- Charles, D. J. (2012). Onion. In Antioxidant Properties of Spices, Herbs and Other Sources (pp. 435-448). Springer, New York, NY.
- Mehta, I. (2017). Origin and history of onions. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 22(9), 7-10.
- El Mashad, H. M., Zhang, R., & Pan, Z. (2019). Onion and garlic. In Integrated Processing Technologies for Food and Agricultural By-Products (pp. 273-296). Academic Press.
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