The Delicious & Healthful Onion Family

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The Delicious & Healthful Onion Family
Alliaceae is the botanical name for the onion family. It includes hundreds of different kinds of plants with leaves that grow from a bulb at their base. When crushed, they release the enzyme alliinase which converts sulfur compounds into onion-like scents. Foods we typically eat from the onion family belong to the genus Allium and include: red, yellow, and white onions; shallots, scallions; leeks; chives; and garlic. Their robust sulfur compounds provide some of their greatest health benefits; for instance, their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasite properties. Alliums have important nutrients, including minerals (e.g., potassium, selenium, and manganese); B vitamins; vitamin C; flavonoids, especially quercetin; phenolic acids; saponins; pectin; and volatile oils. Their pungency and fructans (large fructose molecules), however, can cause digestive discomfort in people who have a sensitive intestinal lining or irritable bowel syndrome. These conditions can be addressed and often thoroughly healed through special diets (Ref., Nutrition in a Nutshell, LLC, May 16, 2023 blog: Healing the Digestive System & Related Ailments with the GAPS Diet).

The least astringent members of the onion family are deep red and purple onions. They are delicious raw or cooked. Their richly pigmented nutrient resveratrol is a robust anti-oxidant. Yellow onions are a blend of sweetness and astringency. When cooked they caramelize, bringing out the flavor of their natural sugars. White onions are more pungent and lacrimatory (tear inducing). Chilling or soaking them in water reduces the liberation of alliinase, lessening their irritating effect on the eyes. Shallots are like onions, but small and tapered with a milder flavor. This makes them versatile for cooking. Scallions are immature onions, harvested when the bulb is still soft and the leaves are tender and edible. Larger and thicker than scallions, leeks are flavorful and frequently used as a key ingredient in soups. Chives, like red and purple onions, are often eaten raw. Finely cut, they make an excellent garnish for dips, dressings, and soups. Chives are like their larger cousins too, scallions and leeks, with green leaves containing chlorophyl and folate which aid in detoxifying and rebuilding red blood cells. Garlic is renowned for boosting the immune system and strengthening the cardiovascular system. Pressing garlic cloves with the side of a wide knife frees them from their outer covering to chop, mince, or use whole, raw or cooked, in an array of savory dishes.

The Delicious & Healthful Onion Family

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