Red Onion

Name: Red onion — a type of the common onion (Allium cepa) with deep purple-red skin and purple-tinged white flesh. It is milder and sweeter than most yellow onions and prized raw.

Description

Red onions are grown around the world and are especially popular in the Mediterranean, Mexico, India and the United States. The colour comes from anthocyanin pigments, the same family of antioxidants found in berries and red cabbage, and they fade to grey-pink in heat.

Because of their milder flavour, red onions are widely used raw, in salads, salsas, sandwiches and burgers, and are quickly pickled in vinegar to make bright pink onions that top tacos and curries. They are less suited to long cooking, where they turn grey-brown.

Main nutrition value

Red onions provide vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium, along with the antioxidants quercetin and anthocyanins, which give them extra colour pigment compared with other onions.

How best to be consumed

Red onions are best raw or lightly cooked.

1. Slice thinly into salads, sandwiches, tacos and burgers.
2. Quick-pickle in vinegar, salt and a little sugar for a bright pink topping.
3. Grill thick slices, or roast wedges until soft and sweet.
4. Soak sliced raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to mellow the bite.
5. Store in a cool, dry place away from potatoes.

Overconsumption could cause…

Red onions are safe in food amounts for people, but toxic to pets.

1. Bloating, gas or heartburn, since alliums contain fermentable carbohydrates (fructans) that bother many people with IBS.
2. Allergic reactions or skin irritation in a small number of people sensitive to alliums.
3. Heartburn or reflux in some people from raw onion.
4. Poisoning of dogs and cats, for whom onions are toxic.

GroupsAllium VegetablesAllium (onion family)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Related foodsOnionYellow OnionWhite OnionWelsh OnionSpring Onion / ScallionSweet Onion

Wikipedia — Red onion, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_onion