Onions are eaten and grown in more countries than any other vegetable, with at least 175 countries producing an onion crop. And unlike wheat (the largest global crop by area harvested), the onion is a staple of every major cuisine. Here are some more amazing facts about onion:
• In the Middle Ages, onions were such an important food that people would pay their rent with onions, and even give them as gifts.
• Cutting Onions make you cry because they produce the chemical irritant known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide. This chemical irritant stimulates the eyes’ lachrymal glands so they release tears.
• Onions are a biennial, meaning that they set seed the second year.
• Did you know that Libyans are famous for eating onions? The per capita onion consumption of Libya per year is a whopping 66.8 pounds.
• According to Old English folklore, if the skin of the onion is thick, it means that a harsh or severe winter is coming. A thin skin, on the other hand, denotes a mild winter.
• Onions (and garlic) are forbidden in the Sattvik diet which is a very important vegetarian culinary field based on Yoga and Ayurveda allowing to get clarity and equanimity.
