[Sca-cooks] Sweet onions in period Europe

[Chris Stanifer]

--- "Mark.S Harris" <mark.s.harris at motorola.com>
wrote:

> Another onion as sweet as the Vidalia in period? I
> really doubt
> this. If there had been, I would expect mention of
> it to show up
> in multiple contemporary writings. Look what
> happened when other
> "sweet" foods became available, either mutations or
> imports.

I'm not convinced that our modern "sweet onion" is not
relly just a throwback to an older, sweet strain of
onion.  It's entirely possible (though this is purely
conjecture) that period onions were already sweet, and
the sweetness was bred out in modern times in favor of
larger onions and larger crop yeilds.  The
"reintroduction" of the Vidalia and Maui sweet
varieties would seem a breakthrough in our age, but
not necessarily in period.  Hence, no special mention
of a sweet onion.  Of course, period onions could have
tasted like pencil shavings, too...I have no clue.

Balthazar of Blackmoor

=====
Let the people hate, as long as they also fear.

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