Difference Between Onions and Shallots

Onions vs Shallots

Onions and shallots have the same scientific classifications. They also basically have the same uses in food preparation. They are both cultivated and although their bulbs grow underground, they are not considered as tubers.

They have been used for centuries to spice up food. They can be eaten raw, pickled, powdered, dried, or cooked and caramelized. Food certainly tastes better when spiced up with onions. Everywhere in the world, it is consumed in huge amounts.

They are used as a side serving for fish and chip shops in the UK and Australia. Hamburgers are not complete without onions and they serve as a base for curries in Pakistani, Iranian, and Indian cuisine.

They are also used to treat certain medical conditions. They contain anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol, anticancer, and antioxidant properties and are thought to have aphrodisiac properties.

There are many varieties of onion, namely:
� Bulb onion, which are used for dried soup and onion powder.
� Tree onion, which produces bulblets in the flower head.
� Welsh onion, which is also known as spring or green onion.
� Yellow onion, which has tapered ends and brown skin.
� Sweet onion, which has a flatter end.
� Leek, which has a long cylinder of bundled leaf sheaths called stalk.
� Multiplier onion, which produces multiple shoots.

Shallot is a multiplier onion. It is also known as scallions or eschalot and is native to Central and Southwest Asia. While most onions only have one bulb, shallots, like garlic grow in clusters of bulbs. They have a firm texture, sweet, aromatic, and pungent flavor.

Shallots are small while most onions have bigger sizes. Onions are usually grown from seeds or small bulbs from a previous season but shallots can be grown from a single bulb that grows into clusters. They are planted on the shortest day of the year.

All onion varieties have phenols and flavonoids, known as vitamin P and citrin, which have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and anti-allergic properties. Shallots contain more of these compounds than other onion varieties.

Consuming ample amounts of onions is very beneficial to women because onions help destroy osteoclasts, a bone cell that breaks down bone and causes osteoporosis. They are used to heal blisters, boils, even sore throat.

Summary

1. Onions are spices that are grown from bulbs while shallot is a variety of onion.
2. Most onions grow into a single bulb while shallots grow into multiple bulbs from a single bulb.
3. Most other onion varieties produce big bulbs while shallots produce small bulbs in clusters.
4. All onions contain phenols and flavonoids that have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, and anti-allergic properties but shallots contain more of these compounds than other onion varieties.
5. Most onions are aromatic and have pungent flavors but shallots are sweeter, more aromatic, and have firmer textures.
6. Shallots are also more expensive than other onion varieties.
7. Onions are being used in most cuisines but chefs prefer shallots over other types of onions because of their milder yet richer and more complex flavor.

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