Welsh onion
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| iWelsh onion | ||||||||||||||
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 Allium fistulosum at a farm
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| Allium fistulosum Linnaeus |
Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum) is a species in the onion genus Allium. A perennial, Welsh onions never form solid bulbs and the scape, like the leaves, are hollow (fistulosum means "hollow") as well as fragile. In taste and odor they are very like the garden onion and hybrids between the two (tree onions) exist. They are also known as green onions, spring onions, bunching onions or scallions, especially in the U.S., but those terms have also been used for other kinds of onions.
Although larger varieties - such as the Japanese negi - of the Welsh onion resemble the leek, and smaller species resemble chives, and all these plants are used in similar ways, the welsh onion is a different species of vegetable.
In addition to their use in cooking, they are often grown in a bunch as ornamental plants.
The name is a misnomer in modern English, as Welsh onions do not come from Wales. "Welsh" preserves the original meaning of the Old English word welisc, "foreign". The plant originated in Asia, possibly Siberia or China. Welsh onions are known as 蔥 (pinyin: cōng) in Chinese, 葱 or ネギ in Japanese (the Japanese transliteration, negi, is another term for Welsh onions), and 파 ('pa) in Korean.
In Asian cuisine, especially in East and Southeast Asia, Welsh onion is an important ingedient. It is used in Russia in the spring for adding green leaves to salads. In Japan it is used in miso soup and in the takoyaki dumpling dish, among others.
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 Allium fistulosum |
