Onions - World of Words

Onions — The bridesmaid

The onion (Allium cepa L., from Latin cepa "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.

“The flavor cornerstone of just about every cuisine on this planet. But it seems like the poor, homely onion is always the bridesmaid, never the bride. But without it, many of our favorite dishes would be boring, indeed.”

— Real Food Encyclopedia

The Onion History

Onion is thought to have originated more than 5000 years ago in Central Asia and is one of the most ancient of food sources. Its consumption by humans can be traced back to the Bronze Age. A staple in the diet of many early civilizations, it was especially important in ancient Egypt.

Ancient Greek athletes consumed large quantities of them thinking it would "balance" their blood and improve their athletic prowess. Later, after conquering Greece, Romans ate onions regularly and also rubbed it on their gladiators to tone their muscles.

In Hebrew, the word ‘ba•tzal’ appears in the Bible as the construct form name: Be•tzal•el (Bezalel in English). As such, it means ‘God’s root.’

The story of the humble bulb. Image from The Indian Express

Because its form very much resembles a teardrop, onions are also associated with pain and memories. While memories are not always melancholic, they do evoke emotions, whether they are tear of joy or sorrow.

The Heart of an Onion

One fine day, the gods met and agreed to create a vegetable that was noble and pleasing to all human beings. Humans were new as well.

Back then, the gods had a special appreciation for humans and, thus, they wanted to make them a special gift. The gods thought they could create a flavor that made human food a lot more delicious. So, they looked for a vegetable they could integrate into most of their recipes. This is just how they designed onions.

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In our recent digital initiative — World of Words, we have carefully selected a handful of beautiful creation of God that means something to us. We used them as our new website imagery as part of the celebration of life we tend to miss out in our hectic daily lives. We hope you will take a moment to pause, breathe and admire these wonderful things around us.

References:

Onion: A Brief History by IPM
Onion History by NOA
The Heart of an Onion by Exploring Your Mind
Onion by DBpedia
Real Food Encyclopedia by Food Print