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By searching on "onion" in Yahoo! we were able to locate the web site of the National Onion Association, a trade organization promoting the onion and all aspects of the onion economy. We learned that the onion was sacred in ancient Egypt and esteemed through the ages as a symbol of eternity. More to the point, we learned that the flavor, odor, and tear-inducing qualities of this bulb come from sulfuric compounds released when the vegetable is cut. These dissolve in the water in our eyes, producing a mild sulfuric acid which causes tearing and irritation. When peeling and slicing onions you can reduce tearing by cutting the root end off last, since the cells containing the most sulfuric compounds are concentrated there. The nutritional
benefits of onions far outweigh the problems posed by "onion breath" and teary eyes. These members of the lily family are high in Vitamin C and contain quercetin, a powerful antioxidant, and adenosine, which is thought to fight LDL, an undesirable type of cholesterol. Since our first source was clearly biased, published with the purpose of promoting onion sales and consumption, we decided to get a second opinion. The Epicurious Dictionary confirmed our findings, and we learned more about onion varieties and flavor characteristics, from crunchy sweet to sulphurous and pungent. Furthermore, if you want to check out an award-winning onion that will make you laugh so hard you'll cry, visit The
Onion, a satirical web newspaper for adult readers.
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