Shallot | |
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Shallots | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
Subfamily: | Allioideae |
Genus: | Allium |
Species: |
A. c. var. aggregatum
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Binomial name | |
Allium cepa var. aggregatum G. Don (1827) |
The shallot (Allium cepa var. aggregatum, or the Aggregatum group A. cepa) is a botanical variety of the species Allium cepa, to which the multiplier onion also belongs.[1] The shallot was formerly classified as a separate species, A. ascalonicum, a name now considered a synonym of the currently accepted name.[2] Shallots, like onions and garlic, are now classified in the plant family Amaryllidaceae, but were formerly considered to belong to the separate family Alliaceae.
Shallots probably originated in Central or Southeast Asia, traveling from there to India and the eastern Mediterranean. The name "shallot" comes from Ashkelon, an ancient Philistine city,[3] where people in classical Greek times believed shallots originated.[citation needed]
The name "shallot" is also used for the Persian shallot (A. stipitatum], from the Zagros MountainsinIran and Iraq. The term "shallot" is further used for the French gray shallot or griselle (Allium oschaninii), a species which has been considered to be the "true shallot" by many;[citation needed] it grows wild from CentraltoSouthwest Asia. In Australia, the term "shallot" can also refer to scallions (from various species of Allium), while the term "eschalot" is used there to refer to the shallot described here.
. Like garlic, shallots are formed in clusters of offsets with a head composed of multiple cloves. Their skin color can vary from golden brown to gray to rose red, and their off-white flesh is usually tinged with green or magenta. Shallots are popular with gourmets.
As a variety of onion, shallots taste somewhat like a common onion, but have a milder flavor. They can be stored[how?] for at least six months.[4]
Shallots are extensively cultivated for use in fresh cooking, in addition to being pickled. Finely sliced, deep-fried shallots are used as a condimentinAsian cuisine (often eaten with porridge).
Shallots are propagated by offsets. In some regions, these are recommended to be planted in autumn in "long season areas" (e.g. September or October in the Northern Hemisphere);[5] in other regions, the suggested planting time for the principal crop is early spring (e.g. February or the beginning of March in the Northern Hemisphere).[6] In planting, the tops of the bulbs should be kept a little above ground, and it is a commendable plan to draw away the soil surrounding the bulbs when their roots have taken hold. They should not be planted on ground recently manured. They come to maturity in summer (about July or August in the Northern Hemisphere), although they can now be found year-round in supermarkets.
Similar to onions, raw shallots release substances that irritate the eye when sliced, resulting in tears. See onion for a discussion of this phenomenon.
Shallots appear to contain more flavonoids and phenols than other members of the onion family.[7]
InAfrica, there is a very specific region of shallot gardening in southeastern Ghana.
Indian and Southeastern Asian names for shallots include kandaorgandana (Hindi, Marathi, Marwari and Punjabi), gundhun (Bengali), chinna vengayam" or "sambar vengayam in chennai region" (Tamil) and cheriya ulliorchuvanna ulli (Malayalam).
InIndian cuisines, the distinction between onions and shallots is weak; larger varieties of shallot are often confused with small red onions and used interchangeably. Indeed, most parts of India use the regional name for onion interchangeably with shallot (Maharashtra, for instance, where both are called kanda). The southern regions of India distinguish shallots from onions in recipes more often, especially the much loved tiny varieties (about the width of a finger); these are widely used in salads, curries, and different types of sambar, a lentil-based dish. Shallots picked in red vinegar are common in many Indian restaurants, served along with sauces and papad on the condiments tray. Indians also use it[clarification needed] as a home remedy for sore throats, mixed with jaggery or sugar. In Nepal, shallots are called chyapi (छ्यापी),and used in as one of the ingredients for making momo.
InIran, shallots are called "mousir" (موسیر), and used in various ways, the most common being grated shallot mixed into dense yogurt, a combination served in almost every restaurant when one orders grills or kebabs. Shallots are also used to make different types of torshi (ترشی), a sour Iranian side dish consisting of a variety of vegetables under vinegar, eaten with main dishes in small quantities. Shallot is also pickled -called "shour" (شور) in Persian- along with other vegetables to be served as torshi.
InSoutheastern Asia, shallots are called bawang merah kecil (small red onions) in Malay, brambanginJava, and hom (หอม, fragrant) in Thai. In Cambodian (Khmer), shallots are called katem kror hom, where katemorktem is a species of onion, and kror homorhom meaning "red", describes its color.
InSoutheast Asian cuisines, such as those of Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia, both shallots and garlic (bawang putih, white onions) are very often used as elementary spices. Raw shallot can also accompany cucumbers when pickled in mild vinegar solution.It is also often chopped finely, then fried until golden brown, resulting in tiny crispy shallot chips called bawang goreng (fried onions) in Indonesian language, which can be bought ready-made from groceries and supermarkets. Shallots enhance the flavor of many Southeast Asian dishes, such as fried rice variants. Crispy shallot chips are also used in southern Chinese cuisine. In Indonesia, shallots are sometimes made into pickles which are added to several traditional foods; the pickles' sourness is thought to increase one's appetite.
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Onion cultivars |
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Onion species |
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Onion food |
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Garlic cultivars |
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Garlic species |
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Garlic food |
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Garlic and onion constituents |
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