''Allium fistulosum'', the Welsh onion, also commonly called bunching onion, long green onion, Japanese bunching onion, and spring onion, is a species of

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

, often considered to be a kind of scallion. The species is very similar in taste and odor to the related common onion, ''Allium cepa'', and hybrids between the two ( tree onions) exist. ''A. fistulosum'', however, does not develop

bulb In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

s, and its leaves and scapes are hollow (''fistulosum'' means "hollow"). Larger varieties of ''A. fistulosum'', such as the Japanese ''negi'', resemble the

leek A leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of Leaf sheath, leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a "s ...

, whilst smaller varieties resemble

chive Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. A perennial plant, ''A. schoenoprasum'' is widespread in nature across much of Eurasia and North America. It is the only spec ...

s. ''A. fistulosum'' can multiply by forming perennial evergreen clumps. It is also grown in a bunch as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

Names

The common name "Welsh onion" does not refer to

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

; indeed, the plant is neither indigenous to Wales nor particularly common in Welsh cuisine (the green ''Allium'' common to Wales is the

, ''A. ampeloprasum'', the national vegetable of Wales). Instead, it derives from a near-obsolete botanical use of " Welsh" in the sense "foreign, non-native", as the species is native to China, though cultivated in many places and naturalized in scattered locations throughout Eurasia and North America. Historically, ''A. fistulosum'' was known as the cibol. In Cornwall, they are known as chibols, and in the west of Scotland as sybows. Other names that may be applied to this plant include green onion, salad onion, and spring onion. These names are ambiguous, as they may also be used to refer to any young green onion stalk, whether grown from Welsh onions, common onions, or other similar members of the genus ''

Allium ''Allium'' is a large genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants with around 1000 accepted species, making ''Allium'' the largest genus in the family Amaryllidaceae and among the largest plant genera in the world. Many of the species are edible, ...

'' (also see scallion).

Culinary use

''A. fistulosum'' is an ingredient in

Asian cuisine Asian cuisine encompasses several significant regional cooking styles of Asia: Central Asian, East Asian, North Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and West Asian. Cuisine is a distinctive way of cooking practices and customs, usually associat ...

, especially in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is particularly important in China, Japan, and Korea, hence one of the English names for this plant, Japanese bunching onion. In the West, ''A. fistulosum'' is primarily used as a scallion or salad onion, but is more widely used in other parts of the world, particularly East Asia.

China

In China, it is often used in scallion pancakes, and as a garnish for a variety of dishes. It is also mixed with meat, into shumai dumplings or pearl meatballs. File:Spring onion pancake 2013.JPG, Scallion pancakes File:Cong zhua bing.jpg File:HK 佐敦 Jordan 彌敦道 219 Nathan Road 莊士倫敦廣場 Chuang's Jordan Plaza shop 新新酒樓 Sun Sun Restaurant food 豉油熟油薑蔥蒸魚 Streamed fish December 2021 SS2 01.jpg, Scallion on steamed fish File:SZ 深圳 Shenzhen 鹽田 Yantian 深鹽路 Shenyan Road 壹海城道 One City Blvd Mall 清真蘭州牛肉麵 Qingzhen Lanzhou Beef Noodle Restaurant July 2023 Px3 09.jpg, Lanzhou beef noodles File:BeijingFood.jpg, Garnish for Peking Duck

Japan

The Japanese name is ''negi'' (葱), which can also refer to other plants of the genus ''

'', or more specifically ''naganegi'' (長葱), meaning "long onion". Common onions were introduced to East Asia in the 19th century, but ''A. fistulosum'' remains more popular and widespread. It is used in miso soup, '' negimaki'' (beef and scallion rolls), among other dishes, and it is in wide use as a sliced garnish, such as on ''

teriyaki ''Teriyaki'' is a cooking technique in which foods are grilling#Overhead grilling, broiled or Grilling, grilled with a Glaze (cooking technique), glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Although commonly associated with Japanese cuisine, Fish ...

'' or ''

takoyaki Takoyaki ( or ) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter (cooking), batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus as food, octopus (''tako''), tempura scraps (''tenkasu' ...

''. File:Shinpuku Saikan Akihabara - Ramen (2022-01-15 11.50.47 by nakashi).jpg,

Ramen is a Chinese noodle dish popularized in Japan. It includes served in several flavors of broth. Common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen h ...

noodles with ''negi'' File:Negitama gyudon, at Sukiya (2013.06.09).jpg, '' Gyūdon'' with ''negi'' and raw egg File:Natto, with welsh onion and karashi by yoppy.jpg,

Nattō is a traditional Japanese cuisine, Japanese food made from whole soybeans that have been Fermentation in food processing, fermented with Bacillus subtilis, ''Bacillus subtilis'' var. ''natto''. It is often served as a breakfast food with rice. ...

topped with ''negi'' File:魚太郎半田店 20241027 1744-2.jpg,

Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

with ''negi'' sprouts

Korea

In Korea, ''A. fistulosum'' along with ''A.'' × ''proliferum'' is called ''pa'' (, "scallion"), while common onions are called ''yangpa'' (, "Western scallion"). Larger varieties, looking similar to

and sometimes referred to as "Asian leek", are called ''daepa'' (, "big scallion"), while the thinner early variety is called ''silpa'' (, "thread scallion"). A similar scallion plant, ''A.'' × ''wakegi'' (now considered a synonym of ''A.'' × ''proliferum''), is called ''jjokpa'' (). Both ''daepa'' and ''silpa'' are usually used as a spice, herb, or garnish in

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomad ...

. The white part of ''daepa'' is often used as the flavour base for various broths and infused oil, while the green part of ''silpa'' is preferred as garnish. Dishes using ''daepa'' include ''pa- jangajji'' (pickled scallions), ''pa- mandu'' (scallion dumplings), ''pa- sanjeok'' (skewered beef and scallions), and '' padak'' (scallion chicken), which is a variety of Korean fried chicken topped with shredded raw ''daepa''. Dishes using ''silpa'' include ''pa-

namul ''Namul'' () refers to either a variety of edible greens or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (). On the day of Daeboreum, the first full moo ...

'' (seasoned scallions), ''pa- jangguk'' (scallion beef-broth soup), and ''pa- ganghoe'' (parboiled scallion rolls) where ''silpa'' is used as a ribbon that bundles other ingredients. File:Daepa (Allium fistulosum).jpg, Thick ''daepa'' type File:Silpa (Allium fistulosum).jpg, Thin ''silpa'' type File:Scallion kimchi.jpg, Scallion

kimchi Kimchi (; ) is a traditional Korean side dish (''banchan'') consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...

File:Panamul.jpg, ''Pa-

'' (seasoned blanched scallions) File:Korean food-Pamuchim-01.jpg, ''Pa- muchim'' (seasoned shredded scallions) eaten with '' samgyeopsal'' (grilled pork belly) File:Pa-sanjeok.png, ''Pa- sanjeok'' (skewered beef and scallions) File:Korean fried chicken 5 padak.jpg, '' Padak'' (scallion

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

)

Russia

''A. fistulosum'' is used in Russia in the spring for adding green leaves to salads.

Jamaica

Known as escallion, ''A. fistulosum'' is an ingredient in

Jamaican cuisine Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavours and spices influenced by Amerindian cuisine, Amerindian, Cuisine of West Africa, West African, Irish cuisine, Irish, English cuisine, English, French cuisine, French, Portuguese ...

, in combination with

thyme Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...

, Scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, and allspice (called pimento). Recipes with escallion sometimes suggest leek as a substitute in salads. Jamaican dried spice mixtures using escallion are available commercially. The Jamaican name is probably a variant of scallion, the term used loosely for the spring onion and various other plants in the genus ''Allium''.

Argentina

It is used to make empanadas and locro, as well as other traditional dishes.

Nutrition

Gallery

File:Allium fistulosum Ypey26.jpg, ''A. fistulosum'' File:Cong-Guizhou.jpg, Grown in Guizhou, China File:蔥 20190406113849.jpg, Flower File:Allium fistulosum MHNT.BOT.2011.3.23.jpg, ''A. fistulosum'' – MHNT

References

External links

*
PROTAbase on ''Allium fistulosum''

World's Largest ''Allium fistulosum''
{{Authority control fistulosum Flora of China Leaf vegetables Onions Perennial vegetables Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Russian cuisine