The red onion, or Allium cepa L. var. cepa, is one of the best-known and most popular varieties of onion in cooking. This vegetable, which belongs to the Liliaceae family, has a sweet and delicate flavour and can be eaten either raw or cooked. Thanks to its organoleptic characteristics, the red onion is used in numerous recipes in Italian and international cuisine.

One of its most famous dishes are crispy and tasty onion fritters. In addition, red onions can be used to enrich various preparations, such as focaccias or omelettes. Sweet and sour onion, on the other hand, is a popular preparation in Middle Eastern cuisine, while salads with red onion, cheese and are a light and tasty side dish.

But red onion is not only a delicious ingredient, it is also a food rich in nutritional values. In fact, 100 grams of red onions contain about 40 calories and are an important source of fibre. Moreover, this vegetable is rich in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, iron and potassium, which help to keep our bodies healthy.

But what are the most common red onion varieties? The red onion is cultivated in various cool and dry places, such as Egypt and the Mediterranean regions. The best known variety is the red onion from Tropea, grown in Calabria and recognised as a traditional Italian food product. This onion variety has fleshy concentric tunics of white, red and purple colouring.

The red onion is sown according to variety and place of cultivation. The bulb, given the presence of several concentric tunics, can be eaten fresh or dried. Extra virgin olive oil is the ideal condiment to enhance the organoleptic characteristics of the red onion, while the Greeks and Romans made extensive use of it in medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties.

In short, the red onion is a multifaceted vegetable, versatile in cooking and rich in nutritional values. Thanks to its sweetness and crunchiness, it can be used for savoury and sweet preparations. So don't hesitate to add red onion to your recipes to enjoy a food with a unique flavour and benefit from its nutritional properties.

Apart from classic red onion preparations such as pancakes, flatbreads or salads, there are many other recipes that make use of its organoleptic and nutritional properties.

If you already have a delicious savoury onion cream and a tasty onion jam on hand, you can use them to prepare a tasty and original dish: onion cream and jam.

To prepare this dish, you will need toasted bread, onion cream and onion jam. You can choose the type of bread you prefer, but we recommend using a rustic or wholemeal bread, which goes perfectly with the flavour of the onion.

First, spread the onion cream generously on the bread, trying to distribute it evenly. Then, add a teaspoon of onion jam on top of the cream, to create a contrast of flavours between the sweetness of the jam and the saltiness of the cream.

Finally, you can enrich your croutons with a few leaves of fresh rocket, to give a touch of freshness and some colour to the dish.

Creamed onions and jam are an original and tasty starter, perfect to surprise your guests with a simple but very refined dish. Thanks to the contrast of flavours between the savoury onion cream and the onion jam, these croutons are an explosion of taste for the palate, and a real treat for lovers of Italian cuisine.

In short, the red onion offers numerous culinary possibilities, from the most classic to the most original and creative preparations. And its organoleptic and nutritional properties make it a very versatile and healthy vegetable, to be enjoyed in all its nuances.