Onions

History

The onion stands as one of humanity's oldest and most universally cultivated vegetables, with evidence of consumption dating back at least 5,000 years to Bronze Age settlements across Central Asia. Ancient Egyptians revered the onion as a symbol of eternity—its concentric layers representing eternal life—and placed onions in pharaohs' tombs as provisions for the afterlife. Workers building the pyramids were paid partly in onions, and the vegetable featured prominently in religious ceremonies. Greek athletes consumed large quantities believing onions lightened the blood, while Roman gladiators rubbed their muscles with onion juice to firm them. The allium spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, becoming the backbone of peasant cuisine when meat was scarce—so essential that onions were acceptable currency for rent and wedding gifts. Christopher Columbus introduced onions to the Americas, where they flourished and integrated into cuisines from Mexican salsas to American onion rings. The development of regional "sweet" onion varieties—Vidalia in Georgia, Walla Walla in Washington, Maui in Hawaii—became points of fierce local pride. Today, onions form the aromatic base of virtually every culinary tradition on Earth, from French mirepoix to Indian tadka to Chinese stir-fry bases.