''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
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
, often considered to be a kind of
scallion
Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chi ...
.
The species is very similar in taste and odor to the related common onion, ''Allium cepa'', and hybrids between the two (
tree onion
The tree onion (''Allium'' × ''proliferum'') is a perennial plant similar to the common onion (''A. cepa''), but with a cluster of bulblets where a normal onion would have flowers. Tree onions are also known as topsetting onions, walking ...
s) exist. ''A. fistulosum'', however, does not develop
bulb
In botany, a bulb is structurally a short 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 du ...
s, and possesses hollow leaves (''fistulosum'' means "hollow") and
scapes
Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatta ...
. Larger varieties of ''A. fistulosum'', such as the Japanese ''negi'', resemble the
leek
The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of '' Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''All ...
, whilst smaller varieties resemble
chive
Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers. Their close relatives include the common onions, garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, and ...
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 that ...
.
Names
The common name "Welsh onion" does not refer to Wales but derives from a near obsolete use of "
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
" in the sense "foreign, non-native", as the species is native to
China, though cultivated in many places and naturalized in scattered locations in Eurasia and North America.
Historically, the ''A. fistulosum'' was known as the cibol. In Cornwall, they are known as chibbles, and in the west of Scotland as sybies or syboes.
''A. fistulosum'' is not indigenous to
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
or particularly common in
Welsh cuisine (the green ''Allium'' common to Wales is the
leek
The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of '' Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''All ...
, ''A. ampeloprasum'', the national vegetable of Wales ).
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 genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes hundreds of species, including the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, and chives. The generic name ''Allium'' is the Latin word for garlic,Gledhill, ...
'' (also see
scallion
Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chi ...
).
Culinary use
''A. fistulosum'' is an ingredient in
Asian cuisine
Asian cuisine includes several major regional cuisines: Central Asian, East Asian, North Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and West Asian. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated wit ...
, especially in
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
. It is particularly important in
China,
Japan, and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...
, 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.
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, African, Irish, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern people who have inhabited the island. It is also infl ...
, in combination with
thyme
Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus ''Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus ''Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigenous ...
,
Scotch bonnet pepper
Scotch bonnet (also known as Bonney peppers, or Caribbean red peppers) is a variety of chili pepper named for its supposed resemblance to a Scottish tam o' shanter bonnet. It is ubiquitous in West Africa as well as the Caribbean. Like the clos ...
,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northe ...
, and
allspice
Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry of ''Pimenta dioica'', a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm par ...
(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''.
Japan
The Japanese name is ''negi'' (葱), which can also refer to other plants of the genus
Allium
''Allium'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes hundreds of species, including the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, and chives. The generic name ''Allium'' is the Latin word for garlic,Gledhill, ...
, 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
is a Japanese American food consisting of broiled strips of meat marinated in teriyaki sauce and rolled with scallions ( negi). Originally, beef was used as the protein, but other types of protein, such as chicken, are now commonly used in negim ...
'' (beef and scallion rolls),
among other dishes, and it is widely sliced up and used as a garnish, such as on ''
teriyaki
''Teriyaki'' (kanji: 照り 焼き) is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
Fish – yellowtail, marlin, skipjack tuna, salmon, trout, and ...
'' or ''
takoyaki
is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (''tako''), tempura scraps (''tenkasu''), pickled ginger (''beni shoga''), and green o ...
''.
Duck soba by naotakem.jpg, Duck '' soba'' with ''negi''
Korea
In
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...
, ''A. fistulosum'' along with
''A.'' × ''proliferum'' is called ''pa'' (, "scallion"), while common
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the oni ...
s are called ''yangpa'' (, "Western scallion"). Larger varieties, looking similar to
leek
The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of '' Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''All ...
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.'' × ''proliferum'' is called ''jjokpa'' (). Both ''daepa'' and ''silpa'' are usually used as a spice, herb, or garnish in
Korean cuisine. 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
''Jangajji'' () or pickled vegetables is a type of ''banchan'' (side dish) made by pickling vegetables.
* Unlike kimchi, ''jangajji'' is non-fermented vegetables, usually pickled in soy sauce, soybean paste, or chili paste. ''Jangajji'' dish ...
'' (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 ( ko, 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (, "mountain namul"), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (, "spring namul"). On t ...
'' (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:Panamul.jpg, ''Pa-namul
Namul ( ko, 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (, "mountain namul"), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (, "spring namul"). On t ...
'' (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 domestication, domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey junglefowl, grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster ...
)
Russia
''A. fistulosum'' is used in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
in the spring for adding green leaves to salads.
Image 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
See also
*
List of'' Allium'' species
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