Onion types: New & well-tried onion types

We show the best old and new onion varieties. These varieties mainly differ in color, size and shelf life.

The numerous types of onions differ mainly in appearance, size, origin and harvest time. The onion is very rich in varieties. This is hardly surprising to botanists, as the onion knows many related species and has been cultivated since time immemorial.

Multi-layer onions / air onions (Allium x proliferum)

These almost unknown onions are something special. The onion, presumably from North America, once came to Germany via France. Air onions do not form seed heads at the end of the rather long shoot, where the inflorescence would otherwise develop on conventional onions. This species forms small, reddish onions. After these are formed and the first roots emerge, the shoot wilts again. the

Air onions go to the ground and take root. This process starts anew every year.

This type of onion is very popular among gourmets. The taste is very aromatic and has a fine texture. Ideal for salads and for topping rolls or for other dishes.

(Synonyms: Egyptian onion, tree onion or walking onions)

Vegetable onion

The vegetable onion is not a classic, botanically-specific type of onion, but it is a common collective name for larger and milder onions. Vegetable onions are good to use in the kitchen. If you compare them to shallots, significantly less work is required.

Large types of vegetable onion:

• The Kelsae: Variety from England with very mild and quite large onions (> 800g); the official record is more than 6kg heavy onions!
• Alisa Craig: also from England with mild and large onions (> 700g)
• Exhibition: aromatic taste and luscious onions (> 1000g); If the growing conditions are good, onions weighing up to 1.6 kg can also be harvested.

Yellow onion varieties:

• Zittau yellow: Proven and popular onion variety; round, firm onions with good shelf life; robust with a good aroma.
• Borettana: Italian traditional variety with a flat, rounded shape; particularly mild and sweet in taste; excellent for salads and for grilling.
• Tamara (F1): Modern breeding with large, lush bulbs; high yields and good aroma; often found in commercial farming.
• Texas Early: This onion variety is a medium to late ripening variety; larger onions with a good flavor.
• Sturon: Modern variety; very productive and very good storage properties.
• Echo (F1): Modern F1 hybrid with round onions; very high yield and very good storability.
• Dorata Di Bologna: Large, rounded kitchen onions; easy to store.
• Stuttgart giants: very old and proven traditional variety from the Stuttgart area; lush, flat-round onions; good shelf life.

White onion varieties:

• Tonda Musona: Large, round onions; tasty and easy to store.
• Snowball: Mild taste, high sugar content; Ripe early and can be stored to a limited extent.
• Albion (F1): Mild, tasty and round onion variety; high yields and easy to store for a few weeks.

Red onions:

• Rossa di Toscana: Traditional variety from Italy with a good taste; round shape and easy to store.
• Redspark (F1): New breed with lush, round onions; very high yields and good aroma; very often planted commercially.
• Di Genova: Early ripening onion variety; flat round and large; very mild and tender; not good shelf life.
• Karmen: Flat-round onions with a subtle sharpness; high quality and limited shelf life.
• Tropea Rossa Lunga: Oval to oblong variety from Italy; very delicate in texture and mild in taste; excellent variety for fresh use; extremely popular among onion lovers.
• Brunswick dark blood red: Probably the best known and most tried and tested traditional variety; firm, flat-round onions and good shelf life.

Shallots Allium cepa var. ascalonicum

Old and proven onion type, whose origin is believed to be in the city of Askalon (see synonyms) in Israel. The shallot, also known as noble onion, is known by gourmets, star chefs and gourmets as the queen of onions. Shallots are quite small, but the taste is particularly aromatic. The onion is ripe early and has a good shelf life.

• Elista: good aroma and easy to store; light brown shell.
• Yellow Moon: round shallots with a yellowish skin; quite large sonars.
• Longor: Traditional variety from France with elongated onions; very mild and good aroma.
• Biztro: tasty variety with an excellent aroma; rounded with red-brown skin.
• Hermione: white skin, rounded shallot with a very good aroma and long shelf life.

(Synonyms: noble onion, Eschlauch, ascalon onion)

Winter hedge / spring onion (Allium fistulosum)

• De Vaugirard: Snow-white spring onions with lush, flat-round onions; rapidly growing.
• Blanca de Lisboa: Traditional variety with small, elongated and snow-white onions. (Syn: white from Lisbon)
• Freddy: Extremely hardy with good yields; the end of the shaft is only slightly thickened.
• Spring performer: Good growing spring onion with a good and mild taste; The end of the shaft is slightly thicker.
• Winter hedge: Often a name for the wild species Allium fistulosum. Delicate shafts with a slight thickening at the shaft end.
• Negaro: Very fast growing variety, with a white stem and good aroma; typical spring onion.
• Pal: Rapidly growing spring onion, the stem begins to branch out early; The end of the shaft is hardly thickened.
• Long whites: Fast-growing variety with a long stem; hardly thickened; high-yielding and aromatic.
• La Reine: Spring onion with a lush onion formation at the end of the shaft; not a hardy variety; good to insert.
• Feast (F1): American variety with very dark green leaves and a white stem end (hardly any thickening to be seen); robust against downy mildew.
• Red toga: Nice looking spring onion with pinkish pink shaft ends; fast-growing and high-yielding.

(Synonyms: spring onion, spring onion, spring onion, spring onion, winter hedge onion, coarse chives)

Pearl onion (Allium ampelorasum) / silver onion (Allium cepa)

The small, typical pearl onions that used to grow in grandma and grandpa 's garden are no longer available these days. The reason: The pearl onions are a variety of the field leek, which is related to the onion and which is no longer used for commercial reasons. That's why the tasty little pickled white onions are no longer made from pearl onions, but from silver onions. There are three types of silver onions:

• There Barletta: early variety with smaller, quite firm onions; very tasty and easy to use for pickling.
• Pompeii: small aromatic silver onions; very mild with similar uses as the spring onions.
• White queen: extremely tasty and mild onion; perfect for inserting.

If you have decided on one of the numerous onion types, now is the time to start Put onions. You can find out how to do this in our special article.