Whether youre a confident chef or just learning the basics in the kitchen, you might have wondered: is onion a vegetable? The answer may surprise you!
Onion is a common ingredient in many dishes, but is it a vegetable? The answer may surprise you.
Sometimes its obvious when produce is a vegetable (carrot is a root vegetable), while others are a little more confusing (avocado is actually a fruit).
Then there are other varieties of produce that will have you scratching your head, like if youre wondering, is onion a vegetable?.
Onions are widely cultivated vegetables, of the genus Allium, known for adding flavor to many dishes.
Varieties include red, yellow, brown, and smaller shallots. Thought to be native to southwest Asia, they are now grown throughout the world. They typically grow in temperate climates and were first cultivated thousands of years ago.
Onions are an edible vegetable in the allium family, which also includes red onions, yellow onions, spring onions, leeks, ramps, scallions, chives, and shallots.
Onions are a base ingredient that adds flavor to many dishes. They are a main component of mirepoix, which is a combination of onion, carrots, and celery that are sauteed and used as an aromatic base for soups, stocks, and sauces.
Before we can determine the answer to the question, is garlic a vegetable? we need to learn a little more about how vegetables are classified.
Culinary Vegetables: These are edible plants and plant parts that are considered veggies for cooking purposes. They are usually savory or are put into savory dishes. This includes pumpkins, eggplant, tomatoes and bell peppers, which are, botanically speaking, fruits.
Botanical Vegetables: Botany is the study of plants. Botanically, a fruit is seed-bearing and develops from the ovary of a flowering plant, while vegetables are all other parts of the plant, such as roots, stems and leaves.
Therefore, seeded parts of plants, such as apples, squash, green beans, okra, tomatoes, cucumber etc… are all botanically fruits. Roots, such as potatoes, beets, turnips, stems, such as celery and asparagus and leaves, such as spinach and kale, are all botanically, veggies.
Legal Vegetables: Some edible plants are legally classified as vegetables for tariff, tax and regulatory purposes. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1893 (case: Nix v. Hedden) that tomatoes are legally vegetables, for customs purposes, despite them botanically being fruits.
Onions (Allium cepa) are a widely consumed bulb vegetable of the Liliaceae family represented by several market types: yellow, red, white, or sweet. The bulb is cultivated after the first year of growth and is consumed either raw or cooked.
Is onion a vegetable?
In botanical terms, onion is a vegetable from the onion family (Allium sativum). Since it is the root of the plant, onion is a root vegetable.
Is leek an onion?
Leeks are part of the allium family, like onions and garlic. They have a cylindrical white bulb and broad leaves and look like a large green onion/scallion/spring onion.
When raw, they have a stronger taste, but when cooked they mellow with a mild oniony sweetness.
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FAQ
What is an onion considered?
What category do onions fall under?
What class of food do onions belong to?
Is an onion a vegetable or a root?
Are onions a vegetable or a fruit?
Onions are allium vegetables, which technically means they can be classified as an herb. When trying to define a vegetable, it is a broader category than fruits because they can be made up of so many parts of the plant. A good way to figure out if something is a vegetable is to exclude it as a fruit.
Is onion a bulb vegetable?
Onion is a plant species in the genus Allium, in the family Amaryllidaceae. It is generally classified under bulb vegetables because it is not usually eaten alone – it is combined with other vegetables to serve as food or used to prepare a meal.
What is the scientific name of onion?
Onion is a plant. It is grown all over the world. Onion is used in cooking as a flavoring. It is also used as a medicine. Onion belongs to the Lily family. The scientific name of onion is Allium cepa. Onion is also known as the bulb onion or common onion. The part of the onion that is used as food is the underground storage shoot.
Are onions a botanical vegetable?
Some people may consider onions to be a botanical vegetable due to their close association with the bulbous underground portion of the plant, while others may view them as a non-botanical vegetable due to their savory taste and use in cooked dishes.