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A scallion, (also known as a spring onion, salad onion or green onion in many countries) is an edible plant the genus ''Allium''. The upper green portion is hollow. It lacks a fully developed root bulb. Harvested for their taste, they are milder than most onions. They may be cooked or used raw, as a part of salads or Asian recipes. Diced scallions are used in soup, noodle and seafood dishes. To make many Eastern sauces, the bottom quarter-inch of scallions are commonly removed before use. The species most commonly associated with the name is the Welsh onion, ''Allium fistulosum''. "Scallion" is sometimes used for ''Allium ascalonicum'', better known as the shallot. The words ''scallion'' and ''shallot'' are related and can be traced back to the Greek ''askolonion'' as described by the Greek writer Theophrastus; this name, in turn, seems to originate from the Philistine town of Ascalon (modern-day Ashkelon in Israel). The shallots themselves apparently came from farther east.' at Google Books, last retrieved 2007-03-31

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