White Onion

Name: White onion — a type of the common onion (Allium cepa) with white skin and flesh, with a crisp texture and a sharper, cleaner flavour than yellow onion, and a slightly sweeter taste when cooked.

Description

White onions are especially important in Mexican and Latin American cooking, where they are the standard onion for salsas, tacos, guacamole and rice dishes. Their thin, papery skin and crisp, juicy flesh make them suited to raw uses, and they are also common in North American and Mediterranean kitchens.

They are generally less sweet than yellow onions and have a sharper bite when raw, but cook to a mild, slightly sweet flavour. They do not keep as long as yellow onions because they have less sulphur, so they should be used within a few weeks.

Main nutrition value

White onions provide vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium, along with prebiotic fibre and sulphur compounds common to onions.

How best to be consumed

White onions are crisp, so suit raw and quick-cooked dishes.

1. Chop finely into salsas, guacamole, tacos and ceviche, where the sharp crunch is valued.
2. Sauté for quick sauces, rice and stir-fries.
3. Rinse chopped raw onion in cold water to reduce the bite.
4. Grill or roast thick slices until sweet.
5. Store in a cool, dry, ventilated place and use within a few weeks.

Overconsumption could cause…

White 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 foodsWelsh OnionSpring Onion / ScallionSweet OnionYellow OnionChivesOnion

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