Three cheers for the onion

BBC ^ | 4 January 2015 | BBC

[moose07]

Onions are eaten and grown in more countries than any other vegetable but rarely seem to receive much acclaim. It's time to stop taking the tangy, tear-inducing bulb for granted and give it a round of applause, writes the BBC's Marek Pruszewicz.

Deep in the archives of Yale University's Babylonian Collection lie three small clay tablets with a particular claim to fame - they are the oldest known cookery books.

Covered in minute cuneiform writing, they did not give-up their secrets until 1985, nearly 4,000 years after they were written.

The French Assyriologist and gourmet cook Jean Bottero - a combination only possible in France, some might say - was the man who cracked them. He discovered "a cuisine of striking richness, refinement, sophistication and artistry" with many flavours we would recognise today. Especially one flavour.

"They seem obsessed with every member of the onion family!" says Bottero.

Mesopotamians knew not just their onions, but also their leeks, garlic and shallots.

[moose07]

[JohnBrowdie]

I was expecting this to be a story abut a satire website.

[MaxMax]

I always leave raw onion on a plate in the kitchen for that airy flavorful scent.

[moose07]

Sprinkle a little brown sugar over it, and leave over night.
Yumm.

[To Hell With Poverty]

Just love onions. I thought I had a bladder condition last year (turns out it was adhesions from endometriosis) and onions were the hardest of the “irritating foods” to give up. We forget just how crucial they are to bringing flavor to so many foods. Everything is just bland without them!

[moose07]

Hee, Hee,
Actually quite an interesting article if you need to know your Onions.

[Daffynition]

[moose07]

LOL,
Morning ,Daffy.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

BFL

[Daffynition]

Cheers *07*

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Great article! Thanks!
Bogie

[Vaquero]

[Vaquero]

and the of course......Frenchmen

[SunkenCiv]

This is a mosaic on the wall of a restaurant in Ostia Antica, the very well preserved port suburb of ancient Rome. Their most popular selections are illustrated there, in an early implementation of the graphical user interface, for a population that was multilingual and probably largely illiterate or reading at a very low level. Note the stuffed onion on the right. Thanks moose07.

[moose07]

Ah ,you have an airman in diguize as a fronch onion seller!
(Allo, Allo)

[Dr. Ursus]

That guy has big onions!

[left that other site]

That looks like some Biker Bars I have seen.

[W.]

[Liz]

HONEY GLAZED VIDALIA ONIONS / food.com / onion grower's recipe
Place 4 large peeled onion halves, cut sides down, in square baker, drizzle with tbl water. Cover with foil; bake 350 deg 30 min. Turn onions over. Brush w/ 1/2 Honey Glaze. Bake tender, uncovered, basting w/ rest of Glaze after 15 min. Can finish under hot broiler to caramelize.

HONEY GLAZE Mix 1/4 cup honey, tbl melted butter, tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes.

[real saxophonist]

I come from the area of Georgia known for Vidalia onions. You really can just ‘eat ‘em like an apple’. I like to slice them thin, with some Wish-Bone Robusto Italian dressing, rotini and red kidney beans.