History and Origin of the Onion
Onions are difficult for archaeologists to track because they are too small and their tissues leave little, if any, trace. Some food historians place the earliest onion cultivation at the edges of the Mediterranean as long ago as 5,000 years. Others believe that onions originated in central Asia. The National Onion Association says onions were first grown in Iran and Pakistan. It's difficult to say in which area onions originated as several hundred varieties of onions grow wild in temperate climates all around the world.
The Egyptians left onions in their tombs about 3,500 years ago. In fact, the mummy of King Ramses IV, who died in 1160 B.C., had small onions in the eye sockets, probably because they had some spiritual significance and because they replicated a real eyeball. Paintings of onions appear on the inner walls of the pyramids of Unas (c. 2423 B.C.) and Pepi II (c.2200 B.C.), and in tombs of both the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom.
The Roman satirist Juvenal wrote of the Egyptians:
How Egypt, mad with superstition grown,
Makes gods of monsters but too well is known.
'Tis mortal sin an Onion to devour,
Each clove of garlic hath a sacred power,
Religious nation sure, and best abodes,
When every garden is o'errun with gods!
Many early documents tell of onion cultivation and use. There is evidence that the Sumerians were growing onions as early as 2500 B.C. The great food historian, Waverly Root, cites a Sumerian text dated to about 2400 B.C. that tells of someone plowing of the city governor's onion plot.
Three different varieties of alliums (onions) are mentioned to have been eaten by the Israelites in the Biblical book Numbers ; leeks, onions and garlic.
The Roman writer Pliny the Elder wrote of onions grown in Pompeii. When Pompeii was excavated, archaeologists found cavities in the gardens where the onion bulbs had grown, just as he had written.
Texts from India dated to the early 6 th C. write of the onion's use as medicine. They were used as a diuretic, and taken for the heart, the eyes and the joints.
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The onions we use today are very similar to those described and eaten 2000 years ago. By 1900, plant breeders were already refining the species to meet the needs of the grower and consumer. A 1900 seed catalog might offer red, yellow, white, oblate, globe and spindle shaped onions.
The accidental discovery of a male-sterile onion by the botanist Henry Jones in 1925 marked the beginning of modern onion breeding. Crossing the sterile line of onions with other onions having desirable characteristics could produce new and better hybrids. Cooperative breeding programs began at universities all across the country. The result was that onion varieties were developed for specific and varied growing conditions.
Onion breeders have been able to strengthen the plant's resistance to many diseases. It is now possible to plant varieties that are not only immune to most diseases but are resistant to diseases prevalent in certain types of geographic areas. For example, researchers in Wisconsin were able to breed for onions containing more phenol. Phenol, when it is diluted, is carbolic acid. Carbolic acid can be used to protect onions from smudge, a naturally occurring mold-like condition.
The complex role of day-length in onion bulb development was another important factor in breeding onion varieties. Many onion varieties were developed which would form bulbs at the correct time, i.e. varieties for both northern and southern growers.
In 1945, analysis of the sulfur compounds in onions (the compound that makes people cry when an onion is cut) resulted in breeders being able to develop a sweet onion. These onions are spring and summer onions, high in water and sugar content, and known for their sweet mild flavor. They don't store as well as other onion varieties do, but they offer a distinctive variation in flavor and have become very popular.
Today, most of the onions eaten in North America are storage onions, grown primarily in western Idaho and eastern Oregon. As much as a quarter of the U.S. fall and winter crop of storage onions is produced in this area. California produces an equivalent amount, another 25% of America's onions, and not just storage onions, but also sweet, speciality, and processing onions. In fact, half of California's onion production goes to processors. Other states produce substantially lesser amounts. Texas grows about 10% of the total onion acreage, mostly sweets; Georgia grows about 5%. New Mexico, Washington, and Arizona also produce substantial quantities of sweets. Colorado, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Utah, Nebraska and Ohio are also onion-growing states.
There are onion varieties for every climate and latitude, large and small, hot and sweet, ready to eat and storage types. So many varieties, so many producing areas. There should never be a time when onions cannot be found in any supermarket.
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