A Vidalia onion ( or ) is one of several varieties of
sweet onion grown in a production area defined by law of the U.S. state of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
since 1986 and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Varieties include the
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
Yellow Granex, varieties of Granex parentage, and similar varieties as recommended by the ''Vidalia Onion Committee'' and approved by the
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
The onions are named ''Vidalia'' because they were historically grown in the town of
Vidalia, Georgia
Vidalia ( ''vye-DAYL-yÉ™'' , ) is a city located primarily in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The city also extends very slightly into Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,473.
Vidalia is the principal ...
. The cultivation of Vidalia onions started in the early 1930s. The Granex and related varieties are sweeter than other onions, but the unusual sweetness of Vidalia onions is due to the low amount of
sulfur in the soil in which Vidalia onions are grown.
The Vidalia onion was named Georgia's
official state vegetable in 1990.
Legislation
Georgia's state legislature passed the "Vidalia Onion Act of 1986" which authorized a
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...
for "Vidalia Onions" and limits the production area to the following counties of Georgia or certain subsets as defined by the state's
Commissioner of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...
:
*Thirteen counties:
Appling,
Bacon,
Bulloch,
Candler,
Emanuel,
Evans
Evans may refer to:
People
*Evans (surname)
*List of people with surname Evans
Places United States
*Evans Island, an island of Alaska
*Evans, Colorado
*Evans, Georgia
*Evans County, Georgia
*Evans, New York
*Evans Mills, New York
*Evans City, ...
,
Jeff Davis,
Montgomery,
Tattnall,
Telfair,
Toombs,
Treutlen, and
Wheeler.
*Portions of seven counties:
Dodge,
Jenkins,
Laurens,
Long
Long may refer to:
Measurement
* Long, characteristic of something of great duration
* Long, characteristic of something of great length
* Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate
* Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...
,
Pierce
Pierce may refer to:
Places Canada
* Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia
United States
* Pierce, Colorado
* Pierce, Idaho
* Pierce, Illinois
* Pierce, Kentucky
* Pierce, Nebraska
* Pierce, Texas
* Pierce, We ...
,
Screven, and
Wayne.
Since
Georgia statutes have
no legally-binding effect outside Georgia, producers and handlers of Vidalia onions, meeting the standards defined by Georgia law, requested, and the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
promulgated, a
Federal Marketing Order which defined the
production area as a matter of
United States federal law
The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as ...
.
Further reading
*
External links
Vidalia Onion Committee official websiteHistory of the Vidalia OnionVidalia Onionsin the
New Georgia Encyclopedia
The ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'' (NGE) is a web-based encyclopedia containing over 2,000 articles about the state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is a program of Georgia Humanities (GH), in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, t ...
Marketing Order 955: Vidalia Onions Grown In Georgia
References
{{reflist
Cuisine of the Southern United States
Flora of Georgia (U.S. state)
Onion cultivars
Symbols of Georgia (U.S. state)