Sweet onion

A vegetable, which belongs to the lily family of plants, that is grown for its edible bulb, which most often serves to flavor a variety of foods. Onions are categorized as being either green or dry onions. Green onions, known as scallions, are harvested before they mature, while their stems are still green. The bulb is generally white-skinned with a flavor that ranges from mild to peppery and pungent. Common varieties that are eaten raw or are used to flavor soups and salads include white Lisbon and Ishikura. Dry onions, also known as mature onions, are harvested when their shoot has died and layers of papery thin skin cover a firm juicy flesh. There are a wide variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from small round pearl onions to the larger spherical-shaped Spanish onions. The dry onions can be classified as either sweet or storage onions and are most often sold as a red, yellow or white onion. Sweet onions, which contain a higher water content but a lower sulfur content, spoil quickly and are less pungent than other varieties. They are most often eaten raw or only lightly cooked. Common varieties of sweet onions include: Arizona onion, Carzalia sweet, Florida Sweet, Granex, Maui, sweet Imperial, Oso sweet, Texas spring sweets, Spring onions, Vidalias, Walla Wallas, and Texas 1015's. Storage onions contain a higher sulfur content and less moisture, so they can be kept in storage for longer periods of time, developing a more pungent flavor as they age. The storage onion is best when cooked, providing a sharper and more flavorful taste than sweet onions. Some of the more common varieties of dry onions will include the Bermuda red, cipolline or Borettana white, creole red, fall onion, Spanish yellow, Italian red, pearl white, red torpedo, white onion and yellow onion.