The Oignon de Roscoff is a variety of

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), 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 onion which was classifie ...

that is grown in the

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

region of northwest France. The use of the name is protected by

appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

(AOC) certification that was awarded in 2009, restricting the name to onions grown in a delimited area of the northern coast of

Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.Roscoff Roscoff ( , ; ) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France. Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelled (small town of character) since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure point ...

. In the 17th century, a monk brought pink onions from Portugal which he had appreciated during a stay in the country. He taught his neighbors at the Couvent de Roscoff how to grow the very sweet and fragrant onion. It is a variety of pink onion of the species ''

Allium cepa An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), 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 onion which was classified ...

'' cultivated traditionally in the region, which is characterized by the pinkish-coppery color of the outer coats and by its average size between 40 and 80 mm in diameter. The name of the appellation refers to Roscoff, the historical cradle of production and for a long time the only export port to Great Britain. The control and management body for this appellation is the Syndicate of the Controlled Designation of Origin “Oignon de Roscoff” headquartered in

Saint-Pol-de-Léon Saint-Pol-de-Léon (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department in Brittany in north-western France, located on the coast. It is noted for its 13th-century cathedral on the site of the original founded by Saint Paul Aurelian in the 6th cen ...

. The onions were sold door to door in Britain by men who came from Brittany, known as "

Onion Johnnies Onion Johnnies ( or ) were Breton farmers and agricultural labourers who travelled, originally on foot and later on bicycles, selling distinctive pink onions door to door in Great Britain. They were especially active in Wales, where they share ...

". A

Protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

(PDO) application was submitted to the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

in 2010. This was awarded in 2013 and is recognized by all member countries of the European Union. The Roscoff Onion Festival started in 2003 and is held annually in Roscoff in August. The museum of the Onion Johnnies in Roscoff () traces the cultural traditions of the onions and the Johnnies.

References

External links

*{{cite web , title=Roscoff Onion PDO , url=http://www.oignon-de-roscoff.fr/ , publisher=Syndicate of the PDO Oignon de Roscoff Onions