All onions can be categorized as either spring and summer varieties versus storage varieties. The red boiling onion is classified as a short-day, spring and summer variety as it has a thin protective layer, whereas storage onions have multiple protective layers which allows them greater time to be stored.

The red boiling onion is harvested small, about the size of a golf ball. It is similar in appearance to the common red onion: burgundy colored, with a paper sheath protecting its ruby and white-ringed flesh. Its flavor ranges from sweet to savory to pungent depending on its particular variety or how much sulfur was in the growing soil or in the fertilizer used to prepare it for cultivation.

Serving Ideas

Although suitable for using to infuse flavor to soups and stocks, red boiling onions can be dry roasted, grilled or braised, treated as a common onion and added to a variety of savory dishes, both raw and cooked. Red boiling onions are often treated as braising onions in which they are browned and until tender, then added to a sauces of reduced white wine, stock and cream. Complimentary pairings include béchamel sauce, cheeses, especially goat, cheddar and aged sheep's cheese, grilled and smoked white fish, roasted chicken, apples, bright hers such as basil and parsley, root vegetables such as turnips and beets, tomatoes, light bodied vinegars and chiles.

Geography/History

The onion is one of the Neolithic founder crops that were domesticated by early Holocene farming communities in the Fertile Crescent region of southwest Asia. Neolithic founder crops formed the basis of systematic agriculture in the Middle East, North Africa, India, Persia and eventually Europe. Boiler onions have a dominant presence mainly in Europe while onions collectively are now the most widely cultivated and distributed allium in the world, adapting to a variety of climates from cold to temperate, semi-tropical and dry.

Seasons/Availability

Red boiling onions are available year round.