Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Alliums Around For Years

Imagine a pizza without garlic, spaghetti without onion, or beef stew with neither. Members of the allium family have been around for thousands of years, according to the Kerr Kitchen Pantry newsletter. Alliums include onions, shallots, scallions, leeks and garlic and are members of the lily family.

Greeks favored garlic to ward off evil. Romans ate whole cloves for strength and courage before a battle and considered it an aphrodisiac. Egyptians who built the Pyramid of Cheops refused to work without their daily garlic; it was even traded as a type of money. Among the treasures in King Tutankhamun's tomb were cloves of garlic.

The Chinese used garlic in medical prescriptions 2000 years ago. American Indians had it for headaches, coughs, digestive ills, heart disease, insect stings and poisonous snake bites.

Siberia is credited with garlic's roots. Crusaders returning to Europe from battles in the Holy Land brought garlic. Marco Polo mentioned garlic in his journals. Onions are said to have originated in central Asia and were distributed through the Eastern and Western Hemispheres in prehistoric times.

Garlic production has increased seven-fold, from 35 million pounds in 1953 to about 250 million pounds today. The per capita consumption of onions is 15= pounds, up 56 percent since 1982.

One cup of chopped, raw onion, contains 46 mg of calcium, 267 mg potassium, 61 mg phosphorus and only 15 mg sodium, making it a great seasoning for low-sodium diets.

Yellow skinned onions are milder than white. The warmer the climate in which it is grown, the milder the onion. To make raw onions milder for salads, soak the cut pieces in milk before tossing them in.

Mature onions are sold after a period of drying out. If not perfectly dry in the market, they're likely starting to decay. Store globe onions and garlic in a cool, dry well-ventilated place. Refrigerator storage for more than a day is not recommended.

Why do onions make us cry? When you cut into an onion, you release volatile sulfuric compounds into the air. When the sulfur comes in contact with the water in your eyes a mild form of sulfuric acid is formed, which irritates and causes tear production. The highest concentration of sulfuric compound-producing cells seems to be near the roots of the onion, so start cutting at the opposite end. Cutting a refrigerated onion, or cutting under running water will reduce the chemical reaction. To remove the smell of onions from your hands, rub them with lemon juice, salt or vinegar.

Slow-cooking or roasting garlic sweetens its flavor. Using too high a heat when cooking onions and garlic can give a bitter taste. Choose a member of the allium family to flavor your next dish. For more information on food and nutrition contact the Clark County Cooperative Extension office, 246-2281.