National Onion Day Date in the current year: June 27, 2024

The onion is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium, which also includes Chinese onion, chives, garlic, leek, and scallion. Shallot used to be classified as a separate species until 2010, but now it is considered a cultivar of the onion. Onions have been cultivated and used around the world for at least 7,000 years. Today the world’s top onion producers are China, Mali, Japan, and South Korea.

There are three main varieties of onions that are cultivated and used in cooking: yellow (brown) onions, red onions, and white onions. Historically, yellow onions are traditional in European cuisine, red onions are the onions of choice in Asian cuisine, and white onions are most commonly used in a variety of dishes from classic Mexican cuisine.

Yellow onions have the highest sulfur content of all three varieties, which gives them the strongest flavor. A variety of the yellow onion called the sweet onion has a milder flavor due to a higher water content. The red onion is easily recognizable due to the color of its skin, which can vary from red to purple. It also has a sharp and pungent flavor, but becomes sweet when cooked. Finally, the white onion is the least pungent of all cultivars, which makes it a popular ingredient in salads and sandwiches.

Onions are a very versatile cooking ingredient. They can be eaten raw, as well as baked, boiled, braised, caramelized, grilled, fried, pickled, roasted, or sauteed. Onions are commonly chopped or thinly sliced and added to various dishes for flavor, but there are plenty of dishes featuring onions as a main ingredient such as French onion soup, onion chutney, caramelized onions, pickled onions, and onion rings. Finally, onions can be dried and ground into onion powder, a common ingredient in spice mixes and seasoned salt.

The National Onion Association (NOA) is the official organization that represents onion growers, packers, shippers, brokers, seed and equipment dealers, and other members of the onion industry across the United States. It was founded in 1913 in Kenton, Ohio. Originally consisting of just five members, the NOA has grown to comprise over 500 hundred members.

The NOA created National Onion Day in 2019 to celebrate its founding anniversary. Observed annually on June 27, the holiday aims to raise awareness of the health benefits and versatility of onions and to encourage people to add more of this vegetable to their diets.

You can celebrate National Onion Day by learning interesting facts about this vegetable, picking up some cooking tips (for example, do you know that you can reduce tearing when cutting onions by chilling them in the fridge for half an hour and leaving the root end intact while cutting?), learning a new recipe with onions, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #NationalOnionDay.