Imagine a world without onions and garlic. Many dishes simply wouldn’t be the same—borscht, meat patties, shish kebabs, dumplings—too many to list. In many national cuisines, onions are celebrated as a dish in their own right. For example, in France, onion soup and onion garnishes for roasted meats are beloved staples. In Hungary and Romania, green onions appear in both salads and hot dishes. Many renowned chefs say that the more onions and garlic you use, the tastier a dish becomes.
Beyond flavor, onions and garlic offer real health benefits. Nutritionists recommend an annual intake of about 18 to 26 pounds of onions for a healthy person; eating more than that won’t do any harm. What makes onions so beneficial? They contain substantial amounts of phytoncides and essential oils—the same compounds that make us tear up when we chop them. The essential oils give onions their distinctive smell and flavor, irritate the mucous membranes of the esophagus, stimulate appetite, promote the secretion of digestive juices, and help the body absorb nutrients. The phytoncides in onions kill many types of pathogenic microbes and suppress harmful bacteria in the stomach. However, onions aren’t recommended for people with digestive disorders, kidney problems, or liver disease. In some therapeutic diets, onions are used only after their essential oils have been removed by blanching or boiling.
Onions are believed to have originated in the Middle East. From there they spread to Egypt, then to Greece and other European countries, where people regarded them as a miraculous plant. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed onions gave warriors strength and courage and protected them from wounds. It’s no surprise that one type of onion came to be called “victorious.” Today that plant is referred to as ramsons. In vitamin C content, ramsons surpass regular onions by about 3.3 times, even outdoing oranges and lemons. Ramsons have helped travelers and hunters in Siberia and the Far East avoid scurvy and other deficiency diseases, since they grow commonly in those regions.
Green onions contain more vitamin C, riboflavin (B2), beta-carotene, folacin, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and organic acids than bulb onions (the white, red, and purple varieties). Bulb onions, however, tend to last longer in storage.
Garlic has been valued for its medicinal properties since ancient times. References to its healing qualities even appear in inscriptions on the Pyramid of Khufu. People used garlic to try to fight epidemics of plague and cholera because they believed it helped in many situations. Garlic contains higher amounts of proteins, sugars, and minerals than onions, and its greens—especially early shoots—have vitamin C levels comparable to those of green onion tops. The phytoncides in garlic inhibit bacterial growth and reproduction, help normalize stomach microflora, and counteract the harmful effects of foreign substances. Raw garlic’s pungent odor makes it less polite to eat on its own, so it’s commonly used in marinades or as a seasoning for salads, meats, soups, and sauces. When cooking hot dishes with garlic, add it after removing the food from the heat, since prolonged cooking reduces its beneficial properties.
Garlic produces phytoncide compounds such as allicin and sativin. As a medicinal plant, garlic is used for treating helminthiasis, vascular diseases, and other ailments. Garlic can release phytoncides for up to 200 hours after being crushed, while similar plants stop releasing them within minutes. People often use garlic as an alcohol extract, and its dry extract is an ingredient in Allochol, a preparation prescribed for liver and gallbladder diseases. Chewing garlic is suggested for people with sore throats, upper respiratory infections, and the flu, because its phytoncides can kill bacteria within 3 to 4 minutes.
Avoid garlic if you have peptic ulcers, gastritis, or diseases of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, or kidneys, because its essential oils can irritate the mucous membranes of the digestive organs.
Because garlic stimulates appetite, it has been used to help people who need to increase their appetite.
DISHES WITH ONIONS AND GARLIC
ONION SALAD WITH EGGS
Slice the onions into rings and place them in an enamel pot. Heat 2 to 2.5 cups of water to a boil, add vinegar, and pour it over the onions. Cover with a lid and let sit until cool. Drain the onions in a colander. Chop the eggs coarsely, mix them with the onions, add mayonnaise, and chill.
For 500g of bulb onions, use 4–5 hard-boiled eggs, a jar of mayonnaise, and a tablespoon of vinegar.
