ALLIUM

Garlik
Fractal created by Jenny
She used Fractal Explorer

 Allium is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants. There are many species of Allium. They occur in temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere. Allium genus produce chemical compounds (mostly derived from cysteine sulfoxides) that give them a characteristic (alliaceous) onion or garlic taste and odor. The plant includes:

Red onion
Fractal created by Alida
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• onion - known as the bulb onion or common onion.

• The onion plant has bluish-green leaves and its bulb at the base of the plant begins to swell  (autumn or in spring) the foliage dies down and the outer layers of the bulb become dry and brittle. The crop is harvested and dried and the onions are ready for use or storage. 

• History: The geographic origin of the onion is uncertain. Food uses of onions date back thousands of years in China, Egypt and Persia.

• Culinary uses: Onion can be baked, boiled, braised, grilled, fried, roasted, sautéed, or eaten raw in salads. 

• Non-culinary uses:Onions have particularly large cells that are readily observed. Onion's cell is easy to separate for educational, experimental, and breeding purposes.

• Freshly cut onions often cause a stinging sensation in the eyes of people nearby, and often uncontrollable tears. This is caused by the release of a volatile gas, which stimulates nerves in the eye creating a stinging sensation. This gas is produced by a chain of reactions which serve as a defense mechanism.

Allium cepa
Photo taken by Jenny

• Garlic is a very interesting, edible plant knon on all the world. People love and hate it at the same time. They love eating garlic because it makes food's flavor richer, but the garlic and the others plants of Allium genus produce chemical compounds which give a characteristic odor (it is not enjoyable at all).  the most interesting feature of the garlic is that it brings most of the health benefits. It is a natural antibiotic which fight against bacterias in people's body:). It also has very few calories but it contains everything what we need to have: Manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Selenium, Fiber and decent amounts of Calcium, Copper, Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron and Vitamin B1. The best way to consume garlic is raw, or to crush and cut it and leave it out for a while before you add it to your recipes.

• scallion (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus Allium. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onions.

Although the bulbs of many Allium species are used as food, the defining characteristic of scallion species is that they lack a fully developed bulb. Instead the Allium species referred to as scallions make use of the hollow, tubular green leaves growing directly from the bulb. These leaves are used as a vegetable and can be eaten either raw or cooked. Often the leaves are chopped into other dishes and used as garnishes.

• shallot The shallot is a type of onion. It probably came from Central or Southwest Asia and was travelling from there to India and the eastern Mediterranean. The name "shallot" comes from Ashkelon, an ancient Canaanite city, where people in classical Greek times believed shallots originated. The skin colour of shallots can vary from golden brown to gray to rose red, and their off-white flesh is usually tinged with green or magenta.

Red onion cut
Photo taken by Jenny

• leek The leek was a part of the Egyptian diet from at least the second millennium BCE onwards. They also allude to surviving texts that show it had been also grown in MesopotamiA   from the beginning of the second millennium BCE.

• chives

History: First  Linnaeus described Allium (1753). There were 30 species in his classification.  Later (2009) classification showed 800 species. 

Ornament: Many Allium species are cultivated as ornamental flowers. The hybrids of Allium "Bea Regard", "Gladiator", "Globemaster" have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Toxicity: Dogs and cats may be poisoned after eating the plant. 

Uses: Important economical species: onions, French shallots, leeks, scallions, garlic, chives.