Spring Onion
By: Anonymous

About

A Spring Onion, also known as a scallion, is a young onion with a slender bulb. They have a stronger flavor and is commonly chopped and diced and used in salads or preparing salsa.

Information
Other names: Onion Sticks, Salad Onion, Green Onion, Scallion
Translations: Svogūnai, Ceapă de primăvară, Proljeće Luk, Spring onion, Bosui, वसंत प्याज, Весенний Лук, Άνοιξη Κρεμμύδι, الربيع البصل, 봄 양파, Jarní cibulka, Spring sibuyas, 大葱, Ceba de primavera, Jarná cibuľka, האביב בצל, Vårlök, Спринг Лук, スプリングオニオン, Ciboule, Frühlingszwiebeln, Forårsløg, Vårløk, Cebolla de primavera, Весняний Цибуля, Kevätsipuli, Пресен лук


Physical Description
The upper green portion is hollow. It lacks a fully developed root bulb. 
Colors: Green top and white bulb


Tasting Notes
Flavors: sweet
Mouthfeel: Crisp, Crunchy
Food complements: Salad, Stir-fry vegetables
Wine complements: Chablis (oaked), Graves, Gaillac, Semillon
Substitutes: Leeks, Shallots, Onion


Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: march, april, may, june
Peak: march, april
Choosing: Look for spring onions with crisp, firm, green leaves and unblemished bulbs. Avoid wilted, slimy, and discolored spring onions.
Buying: Green onions or scallions, which have a very slender shape and mild onion flavor like chives, can be found year-round at the grocery store. Spring onions, which have a slightly larger but still under-developed bulb, are more readily found at farmer's markets in the spring and early summer. 


Preparation and Use
You can use your kitchen scissors or knife to cut the tops and the bulb horizontally. Both the whites and greens are edible.
Cleaning: Wash the spring onions and cut off the roots and ragged ends at the top. Remove any wilted or dry greens.


Conserving and Storing
When you buy spring onions, you can store them in the fridge but it's best to use them within 2-3 days, as they wilt quickly.


Social/Political

History: "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.