Sweet onion

Sweet onions
Sweet onions, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 133 kJ (32 kcal)
7.55 g
Sugars 5.02
Dietary fiber 0.9 g
0.08 g
0.8 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)
(4%)

0.041 mg

Riboflavin (B2)
(2%)

0.02 mg

Niacin (B3)
(1%)

0.133 mg

(2%)

0.098 mg

Vitamin B6
(10%)

0.13 mg

Folate (B9)
(6%)

23 μg

Vitamin C
(6%)

4.8 mg

Minerals
Calcium
(2%)

20 mg

Iron
(2%)

0.26 mg

Magnesium
(3%)

9 mg

Manganese
(4%)

0.076 mg

Phosphorus
(4%)

27 mg

Potassium
(3%)

119 mg

Sodium
(1%)

8 mg

Zinc
(1%)

0.13 mg


Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

A sweet onion is a variety of onion that is not pungent. Their mildness is attributable to their low sulfur content and high water content when compared to other onion varieties.

Origins in the United States

United States sweet onions originated in several places during the early twentieth century.

Vidalia onions were first grown near Vidalia, Georgia in the early 1930s. Today the name refers to onions grown in a 20-county production region in the state of Georgia as defined by both Georgia state and federal law (CFR).

South Texas also acquired what is known as the 1015 onion in the early 1980s by Dr. Leonard Pike, a horticulture professor at Texas A&M University, Texas. 1015 Onions are actually named for their optimum planting date, October 15. Grown only in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, this large, prized onion was developed after ten long years of extensive research, endless testing and a million dollars in cost. As a result, Texas achieved a mild, exceptionally sweet onion that lives up to its nickname - the "Million Dollar Baby". Onions are Texas' leading vegetable crop. The state produces mostly sweet yellow varieties. The sweet onion was adopted as Texas' official state onion in 1997.

The Walla Walla sweet onion is named for Walla Walla county in Washington state where it is grown.[1] Its development began around 1900 when Peter Pieri, a French soldier who settled in the area, brought a sweet onion seed from the island of Corsica with him to the Walla Walla Valley.[2] This sweet onion was developed by selecting and reseeding onions from each year's crop that possessed sweetness, jumbo size, and round shape.

Other U.S. varieties

Bermuda onions

The Bermuda onion is a variety of sweet onion grown on the island of Bermuda. The seeds were originally imported from the Canary Islands before 1888. Onion export to the United States made up such a prominent feature of Bermudian life, they soon adopted the nickname onions. Sweet onions from Texas largely displaced the Bermuda variety.[6]

European onions

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oignon doux des Cévennes.

In Europe, the Oignon doux des Cévennes from Cévennes, South East France has PDO status.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, August 29, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.