Interesting Facts about Onions

• Their scientific name of onion is Allium cepa.
• Onion is a biennial plant treated as an annual crop.
• Onion bulbs are, in fact, transformed leaves.
• Onions form bulbs under specific temperatures and photoperiod conditions (day length).
• Instead of forming flowers on top of the flower head, some onion types produce tiny bulbs. 
• The edible parts of the onion are the bulbs and the leaves.
• Allyl propyl disulfide in onions is why we cry when we open-cut them.
• Onion is native to central Asia, and the region around Pakistan and Afghanistan are considered the centers of origin. 
• Egyptians have consumed onions since 3200 BCE (before the common era) 
• Alexander the Great introduced onions to Greece and Europe during the 4th century BCE. The crop arrived in America around 1494 with the Columbus crew. 
• Greeks like Homer, Hippocrates, and Theophrastus referred to onion’s medical properties.
• Onions are cultivated almost everywhere in the world.
• China is the biggest onion producer country, followed by India, U.S.A, Turkey, Japan, Iran, Pakistan, and Spain.
• It is considered a profitable but labor-intensive crop.

Further reading

Onion: Info, Nutritional Value, and Health Benefits