Onions

We’re all familiar with the yellow onion wrapped in golden layers of thin papery skin. Here’s the rest of the family, each variety with its own unique taste. Discover which ones go best in your Recipes.

Red Onion

The sweetest onion. Best used raw for its colour and freshness. Colour fades quickly during cooking.

Gourmet tip: Use it to add colour and crunch to salads.

Yellow Onion

Very pungent. Goes well in long-cooked dishes such as soups and stews. Keeps the longest.

Gourmet tip : It’s ideal for Mexican dishes such as fajitas and tacos.

White Onion

The mildest onion. Excellent for making confit onions and onion jams. Has the shortest shelf life.

Gourmet tip : Try our salsa trio recipe available in our leaflet.

Onion Vidalia

Sweet and slightly spicy. Often eaten raw in salads and salsas.

Gourmet tip : Try our salsa trio recipe available in our leaflet

Spanish Onion

Very juicy, with a milder and sweeter flavour than yellow onions. The largest onion. Used mainly raw and sliced in salads and sandwiches, but also used in short-cooked dishes.

Gourmet tip : Try it in a vegetable stir-fry!

Pearl Onions

Mild, delicate flavour. Used for pickling, in stews, and with roasts. Keep their shape during cooking.

Gourmet tip : Try our recipe for rabbit with marjoram and pearl onions.

Green Onion

Also called a scallion. Smaller, with a slightly milder flavour. Has a shorter shelf life than regular onions.

Gourmet tip : Slice thinly and add to soup, stock, or gazpacho for a fresh, tart touch!

Shallot

A more subtle and fragrant taste than onions Ideal in sauces and dressings A must for classic flank steak with shallots

Gourmet tip : Finely chop and add to sauce and dressing recipes to boost flavour.

Garlic

Pungent, fragrant taste. Can be used raw or cooked. Excellent in Mediterranean dishes such as pizza and pasta.

Gourmet tip : Enjoy the fine flavour of confit garlic.

Chives

A more delicate flavour than onions and shallots. Do not cook well. Often used minced to flavour dishes.

Gourmet tip : Try our onion and chive potato galettes.

Cipollini

Small flat onion that looks like a button Delicate hazelnut and slightly sweet flavour Used in cooking and for pickling

Gourmet tip : A cipollini tart makes a perfect cocktail appetizer.

Buying and storing onions

Opt for firm onions with no mould. The outer skin should be as firm as possible. Onions should be stored in a cool, dry, ventilated area away from light. Storing them in the refrigerator for a long time should be avoided as the odour may be absorbed by other foods. If you do store them in the refrigerator, use the crisper at low humidity. Onions keep up to two months under these conditions.

Health benefits

Onions, garlic, shallots and chives are present in so many dishes that we pay very little attention to them. Yet these bulbs are chock-full of important nutritional properties! Onions and their cousins belong to the allium family and therefore share common nutritional properties. They contain substances such as flavonoids and sulphur compounds, which are involved in reducing blood sugar (hypoglycemic effect) and protecting against

Aging-related diseases (e.g., cataracts)
Cardiovascular diseases (e.g., high cholesterol)
Certain cancers
Hypertension

Three unpleasant qualities, three solutions

Onions have three unpleasant qualities

They irritate your eyes when you cut them.
They leave a bad odour on your fingers after you handle them.
They give you bad breath.

3 problems, 3 solutions

Tears: Refrigerate onions before cutting them or cut them under running water.
Finger odour: Rub your fingers on a stainless steel surface (e.g., clean knife or kitchen sink).
Bad breath: Chew a few sprigs of fresh parsley, a little mint or a coffee bean!

Scientific explanation

When an onion is cut, the walls of its cells are crushed, allowing air to enter. This activates an enzyme present in the onion that reacts with air and produces allyl sulphate. This volatile substance is what irritates your eyes. Now you know why onions don’t make you cry unless you cut them!