Their are multiple varieties of Pearl onions, most of which belong to the species Allium cepa. Gold pearl onions are a delicate, long-day storage onion variety that resemble shallots in shape. They are harvested when their skin has dried to create a protective sheath for its still succulent flesh. They can be stored up to two months in the proper conditions. Gold pearl onions are purposefully small because they are planted tightly and densely together and picked at their preferred stunted size.

Gold pearl onions are petite, semi-rounded onions with a copper-gold dry, papery skin and a firm, juicy white flesh. The Pearl onion flavor is savory, sweet and slightly less pungent than full-sized storage onions.

Serving Ideas

Gold pearl onions are commonly pickled and used as a condiment in cocktails. They are also synonymously interchangeable with boiling onions, can be deep fried, roasted or grilled. Although perfectly suitable for using to infuse flavor to soups and stocks, Pearl 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. 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. Pearl onions will keep, cool and dry, for up to a month.

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, the greatest historical agricultural region within the world. Neolithic founder crops formed the basis of systematic agriculture in the Middle East, North Africa, India, Persia and eventually Europe. Onions 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

Gold pearl onions are available year round.