White onion is a biennial plant with a well-formed bulb. This type of vegetable is common in Spain, Mexico and Central Asia. People used such onions as food more than 4 thousand years ago. However, this plant is not found in the wild. In addition, we studied beneficial properties white onion. Thanks to its amazing composition, this product allows you to get rid of many diseases. White, which everyone can do, perfectly tolerates the climate of our country.
How to grow white onions
In our country, this vegetable is grown on a three-year cycle. Initially, seeds - nigella - are planted in the ground. They are cared for in the same way as regular ones; in the second year, white onion sets grow from the planted material. After another year, you can harvest a full harvest of this vegetable.
It is better to choose a sunny place for planting, so that there is a lot of warmth and light. Seeds can be planted in early autumn or spring. Watering should be moderate. In other words, the soil should not dry out, but you should not overwater it either. When growing white onions, it makes sense to use fertilizers and disease control agents.
When caring for this plant, you should remember that this variety is very delicate and is not so resistant to diseases and pests. At long-term storage white onions, which are quite easy to grow, quickly spoil. It is for these reasons that gardeners began to use seeds of stronger vegetables. To be more precise, yellow onions. It is more stable and can be stored for a long time.
Taste qualities of white onions
According to their own taste qualities this onion is very different from the yellow one. First of all, it is more aromatic, not so hot and spicy, softer and a little sweet. White which can be purchased at specialty store, has a pronounced and bright taste. In many countries, this product is used as one of the salad ingredients. For example, in France, this type of vegetable is used to prepare a signature onion soup, which has won first place among gourmet dishes all over the world. And take at least the rings fried in batter. In this case, the onion turns out crispy and very tasty. It is worth noting that after heat treatment, white onions will not give your breath an unpleasant odor. But the dishes will turn out more flavorful.
Medicinal properties of the product
White onions, varieties of which are suitable for growing even in the harshest climates, should be consumed immediately after cutting. After all, this product loses its healing properties very quickly.
This vegetable is very healthy for everyone and, of course, at any time of the year. The green feathers of the plant contain a huge amount of vitamin C and carotene. Therefore, this type of onion is considered an excellent preventative against scurvy. In addition, the product allows you to increase your appetite. After all, it stimulates intestinal motility, as well as the secretion of gastric juice.
White onion, or rather its juice, is a natural antibiotic that can protect our body from colds and infections.
It is worth noting that the product contains a lot of phytoncides that can destroy any pathogenic bacteria. It is for this reason that onions are very often used to treat infectious diseases, abscesses, boils and purulent wounds.
Experts have proven that the substance that causes tears when cutting a vegetable can fight cancer cells in the human body. In terms of its vitamin composition, white onions are superior to those known to everyone, which are so rich in useful components and so pleasant to the taste.
Vitamins and minerals
White onion, the varieties of which differ only in taste, contains large number microelements. Among them are fluorine, sulfur, phosphorus, manganese, calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. In addition, the product contains vitamins, essential oils, flavonoids and the plant hormone glucinin. As you know, this substance can quickly reduce sugar levels in a person’s blood. The components contained in white onions cause the body to produce blood cells more actively. This indicates that the product is an ideal remedy that strengthens the immune system and also fights anemia. But this is not all the properties of white onions. This product allows you to cleanse the blood, relieve swelling of soft tissues, and normalize digestive function.
The benefits of white onions and cosmetology
This product is often used in making homemade cosmetics. So, a mask of grated white onion for hair can eliminate dandruff and give your hair strength and shine.
The juice of this vegetable can be used instead of lotion. It significantly softens the skin, makes it more elastic, tones and eliminates unpleasant oily shine, tightens pores, and also fights inflamed acne and sebaceous plugs.
From thermal burns
Perhaps everyone has experienced burns in their life. Alas, it is not always at hand effective remedy to eliminate unpleasant sensations. In this case, white onion will help. It is enough to grate it and place it on the damaged surface, covering it with a regular gauze napkin. It is worth noting that such a simple compress will reduce pain and tissue inflammation, thereby preventing the formation of blisters. This method of therapy is relevant even for frostbite.
For calluses, abscesses and boils
White onions help get rid of abscesses, calluses and boils. To do this, the vegetable should be baked until the skin is soft, and then rubbed and mixed with regular butter. In this case, the proportion 4 should be observed. The finished mixture should be applied to a gauze napkin and applied to the damaged area.
To make boils ripen faster, you can use another preparation based on white onions. To do this, you need to take a vegetable, cut it into two equal parts and place the cut side in a dry frying pan. You need to fry the product until it becomes softer and its edges are slightly charred. After this, the onion needs to be cooled and the cut side applied to the boil. Such a compress can be fixed with ordinary gauze or a bandage. You need to keep the onion for 5 to 6 hours. Then the compress should be replaced.
Cough remedy
White onions are great for treating coughs. Of course, children are unlikely to agree to take such medicine. The vegetable should be peeled and finely chopped to make a paste. The finished product must be mixed with two tablespoons of honey. This mixture should be placed in a container and tightly closed, and then put in the refrigerator overnight. The released syrup should be consumed every three hours, a tablespoon.
In conclusion
White is a unique product. Thanks to its composition, the vegetable can be used for cooking not only regular dishes, but also medicinal and cosmetic products. However, do not forget that the use of any onion-based drugs should be discussed with your doctor. Self-medication does not always give positive results.
White onion is not only a vegetable that gives dishes a special taste and smell, but also a product that has many beneficial and medicinal properties. It is successfully used in folk medicine and cosmetology. White onions, benefits and harms, calorie content of the vegetable have often become the subject of study by nutritionists.
Benefit
White onion - dietary product. Experts confirm that regular consumption of salad with its addition helps to get rid of unnecessary pounds and also improves digestion.
White onions have many beneficial properties:
- it contains a huge amount of vitamins and other elements important for the human body;
- with frequent use, it significantly reduces the level of bad cholesterol;
- thanks to the plant hormone glucinin, it normalizes the amount of sugar in the blood;
- contains essential oils and flavonoids - substances with a powerful antioxidant effect, the ability to restore the elasticity of blood vessels and prevent the development of sclerosis;
- has antibacterial and antimicrobial effects, due to which it is called a natural antibiotic and successfully protects the body from colds and some infections;
- prevents the development of anemia;
- perfectly strengthens the immune system;
- normalizes blood clotting;
- Onion gruel is used to relieve inflammation and pain from burns and frostbite, treat lichens and boils.
White onion juice is successfully used in cosmetology to improve appearance. This product
- activates hair growth, eliminates oily and dry dandruff, fights baldness, makes strands strong;
- treats acne and inflammation, cleanses oily pores, cleanses and tones the skin, giving it elasticity;
- cares for dry skin, preventing the appearance of wrinkles;
- lightens freckles and age spots;
- strengthens brittle nails;
- effectively copes with warts, calluses and corns.
Harm
Thermally untreated white onions can increase acidity and cause irritation of the mucous membranes of the digestive organs. The product overstimulates the nervous system and increases blood pressure. The harm of fresh onions lies in unpleasant smell from the mouth of the person who eats it, which lasts for a long time.
White onions are milder than yellow ones. It does not exceed the content of saturated fat and sugar. The product does not contain harmful chemicals and does not contribute to the development of cancerous tumors.
Calorie content
The calorie content of 100 g of white onion is 42.33 kcal, which is 2% of the recommended daily intake. The number of kilocalories of 1 onion is indicated in the table:
Contraindications
According to nutritionists, white onions are not contraindicated during pregnancy. Thanks to great content phytoncides, the product is able to protect expectant mother from dangerous colds. In addition, white onions contain folic acid, a very important element for the healthy development of the fetus.
Fresh white onions should not be given to children under 1.5 years of age, as their juice will irritate delicate mucous membranes. internal organs. Some babies may be allergic to this vegetable. If the child does not have a negative reaction, you can feed him dishes with the addition of heat-treated white onions from the age of 9 months.
White onions can aggravate some ailments, which is why its use is contraindicated in severe diseases of the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and heart disease. The product can cause the formation of gases, so it must be completely excluded from the menu in case of flatulence.
According to experts, frequent consumption of white onions leads to the occurrence or intensification of headaches, so it should be limited in the diet for migraines. People suffering from increased excitability should not get carried away with white onions. nervous system, as well as for hypertension.
Nutritional value
Vitamins and minerals
Remember that the richest beneficial properties are found in freshly chopped white onions. During storage, this product loses most of its important elements. The same thing happens when onions are heat treated. However, if you have restrictions or contraindications to the use of this vegetable, give preference to cooked dishes with its addition.
Many of us still don't know what the difference is between red, yellow and white onions and what dishes are best to use them in. We decided to figure it out so that next time you know exactly what onion to buy in the store.
The recipe says: you will need onions. Not that hard, right? However, when we go to the supermarket and see at least 4 different varieties onions: yellow, white, red and shallots, then we begin to doubt.
By and large, if we buy the wrong thing, nothing bad will happen, the dinner will not be ruined. But there are still differences, and it’s better to understand them.
yellow onion - spicy
We use it more often than anyone else, and every housewife always has it in her kitchen. The taste is pungent, vigorous and bitter, but during cooking the onion loses its pungency, becomes aromatic and even sweetish. Also, yellow onions caramelize perfectly, acquiring a golden hue. Yellow onions can be used in most dishes: soups, meats and fish dishes, shish kebabs and barbecues.
Suitable for almost everything: roasted or stewed meats, beef, lamb, chicken
Baked BBQ ChickenMoroccan Braised Lamb
Or for sauces, any soups and gravies
Cucumber sauceKorean pukchai soup
Yellow Onions - Sweet
Another type of onion that most people don’t even know about, because... In appearance, the bow is almost no different from the first option, except that its shape is more round, and the heads themselves are larger.
But the taste of this onion is sweet and much softer than the previous one. Onion scales are fleshy, dense and juicy. And since it itself is larger, it is more convenient to cut it into rings. So wherever it is required, you need to choose exactly this type of onion.
Suitable for onion soup, onion rings
French onion soup
Onion pie with potatoes
for fried vegetables, casseroles and gratins, and those dishes (with meat or fish) where an onion “cushion” is needed
Pie “Onion Happiness”
Potato casserole
White onion - crispy and spicy
For some reason, many people say that white onions are sweet and have no smell. But if you have at least once tried to buy such an onion, then you know that it is not at all sweet. It really does not have such a pungent smell as yellow onions, which look beautiful, but taste sharp, bitter and very juicy. White onions are not often used in cooking, and when they are used, it is mainly for savory dishes, so they are more popular in Mexico or Spain.
For salsas, vegetable sautés and chutneys, or vegetable mixtures that need some crunch.
Tomato salsa Chutney with cucumbers and apples
Red onion - best eaten raw
As you know, red onions are much softer than yellow ones and also add color to dishes. It is crispy, almost not spicy and sweetish in taste, but has a rather strong aroma and a bitter aftertaste. There are also different varieties of red onions, so sometimes they can be “angry” and vigorous, but in general they are softer than all the others.
for guacamole, salads, marinades
Guacamole spicy
Shopska salad
for grilled dishes, burgers and sandwiches
Burger with Gruyere cheeseEuropean vegetable sandwich
The most tender onion is shallot
GettyImagesSmall shallots grow in bunches rather than one at a time. In our country, this onion is rarely used, although its taste and aroma are very similar to red onions. Soft and delicate shallots are suitable for those who do not really like the strong onion taste, but want to add piquancy and a slight bitterness to their dishes. Shallot - best choice for vinaigrette and vinegar-based marinades, it is used to prepare sauces, as well as side dishes for vegetable dishes.
Vinaigrettes, marinades, sauces
Duck liver pate Marinated zucchini with onions
Quiches, egg dishes, vegetable side dishes
Herring tartare Salad with tuna and radish
Everyone knows that onions are healthy, tasty and good as a seasoning. But at the same time, most people mean the onion variety of this plant, which has a standard golden husk. But there are a lot of varieties of onions, in particular, onions can be white, red, purple. And much less is known about their valuable qualities. For example, few consumers can boast that they know exactly what white onions are good for.
Externally, this variety of onion is not much different from the one we are used to onions with golden skin. The shape of the bulb is almost the same, only it has a soft white color. This plant is not found in wildlife and exists only in the form of a cultivated garden crop. The benefit of white onion lies primarily in its more delicate taste. But on the other hand, it is much more difficult to grow it; this plant is too whimsical and prone to disease.
The benefits and harms of white onions
White onion is only 45 kcal per 100 grams of fresh product. Despite the sweetish taste, it contains quite a few carbohydrate compounds - only 11% of the total mass of the onion. There is also some protein and many, many valuable active substances: vitamins, minerals and trace elements. But the beneficial properties of white onions are primarily due to the presence of huge amount phytoncides - special compounds that have the most destructive effect on viruses and bacteria. Therefore, the plant is successfully used as a cold remedy, to treat abscesses and purulent wounds, to cleanse the blood and optimize intestinal function, etc. But in addition to benefits, white onions can also cause harm. For example, it is contraindicated for ulcer sufferers and people suffering from kidney diseases. White onions are also harmful to hypertensive patients, as they increase blood pressure.
» Onion varieties
White onion is the oldest garden crop that came to us from Asian countries, a close relative of the usual onion. This is not only a bright seasoning that improves the taste of traditional dishes, but also a healthy vegetable that can saturate the human body. useful vitamins and microelements.
More than 300 varieties of onions are found in the wild. Only 7 species are cultivated by humanity as garden crops. The white variety is an invaluable storehouse of vitamins, macro and microelements.
From a scientific point of view, white, purple and yellow onions all belong to the same biological species. This is one of the most common vegetable crops cultivated by mankind for more than 5,000 years. The white vegetable has large, even bulbs, although it is stored worse than the usual yellow one.
White onion close up on the table The difference between white onions and regular onions
What is the difference between these close relatives? The white bulb is usually larger than the yellow one. In addition to the color of the husk - in white it somewhat resembles blank slate papers, vegetables vary in taste and smell.
White onions are significantly more flavorful and sweeter than onions. It tastes softer - there is no usual, rather sharp bitterness.
There are other differences between white onions and onions:
- more iron salts;
- higher content of vitamins, essential oils;
- higher content of natural sugars and mineral salts;
- significantly shorter (compared to onion) shelf life.
There are also functional differences - the white vegetable is more often used fresh, for making salads, while the onion vegetable is universal. Coming from Asia, he is very popular in Latin America, Spain. In hot countries it is more often used as a salad. To the north (for example, in France) - the famous onion soup is made from it.
Composition and properties of white onions
In the bow white contains vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin H (biotin), vitamin PP (nicotinic acid), numerous B vitamins. Microelements include: calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, phosphorus, zinc, potassium. Let's not forget about essential oils (phytoncides).
It is a valuable source of iron, necessary for the human body for the synthesis of hemoglobin. Iron salts promote recovery from anemia. This is especially important given the current rise of vegetarian culture, which has led to a decrease in the consumption of meat products by many young people.
Zinc promotes the production of sex hormones, as well as the hormone insulin. A significant amount of keratin, which promotes the beauty and health of hair and nails, is contained in green feathers.
White onion is very useful for diet menu. Salads, the recipe of which includes it, normalize the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract and promote weight loss.
Useful properties and contraindications
Onion is a natural antiseptic; this has been known to medicine since the time of Hippocrates. The phytoncides contained in the plant have a direct effect on a number of bacteria and pathogenic fungi.
Ripe onions in the garden
Due to its pronounced antibacterial effect, it can additionally be used as folk remedy, in the treatment of stomatitis, sore throat, acute respiratory diseases. To prevent upper respiratory tract infections, doctors recommend systematically inhaling the smell of fresh chopped vegetables (in autumn and spring).
It is not recommended to give raw onions to children under 1.5 years of age. In all directions, it can burn the delicate mucous membrane of the child’s digestive organs. From the age of 1 year it is used in children's menus, in heat-treated form - as part of vegetable purees or soups.
Doctors try to limit the consumption of white onion only in extreme cases:
- for diseases of the nervous system (sleep disturbances, excitability);
- for migraines;
- with severe symptoms of hypertension.
It is advisable to completely exclude the vegetable from the diet of patients with flatulence, since this vegetable stimulates the formation of gases in the intestines. Overweight people should not eat it. The white vegetable stimulates the secretion of gastric juice and increases appetite. With its aroma, the vegetable improves the attractiveness of dishes, and as a result, you can eat much more than a standard portion.
Use in folk medicine
Since ancient times, the vegetable was considered a healing plant. The ancient Egyptians even wore it around their necks as an amulet. Roman gladiators ate it before battle so that more forces would arrive. It is believed that this healthy vegetable can relieve acne, dandruff, and rheumatic joint pain.
Onion juice is good against insect bites - mosquitoes, ants, wasps, bees, or horse flies. Lubricate the bite with fresh juice, and the itching will subside and there will be no swelling.
In folk cosmetics and medicinal recipes, the vegetable is present as an antiseptic component. Traditional healers used onion gruel with linden honey (in equal proportions) as a general strengthening face mask that whitens age spots and significantly reduces the appearance of acne.
Chopped onion was used to treat burns and complex infected wounds. And now this knowledge can be used to alleviate the patient’s condition in unusual situations, before providing first aid.
Cooking recipes
Onions are constantly present on our menu. A variety of soups, meat, fish and vegetable dishes - all these dishes are traditionally complemented by fresh onions, enriching their taste.
Freshly planted white onions From a medical and culinary point of view, onions are best used in foods with fats. Fats allow nutrients to be dissolved and absorbed. The sauce for it can be sour cream, olive or sunflower oil. Fats soften the taste of the dish and reduce the aggressive effect of the vegetable on the mucous membrane.
For a healthy person, it will help adapt the body to an exotic trip. The day before, and then upon your return, you should eat a slice of onion with bread. It activates the immune system, making it easier for the body to cope with the flight and contrasting changes in climatic conditions.