Shallot Onion

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£1.69

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Allergen information: Full label details for this product are still being verified. If you have a food allergy or intolerance, please check the pack label on delivery or contact us before ordering, and we will confirm with the supplier.

Chilled items & warm-weather notice

We ship chilled (perishable) foods with ice-gel packs, kept refrigerated. In warm weather, light oil sweating on cured products such as sucuk/pastırma, or softening of cheese, is normal and not a sign of spoilage — it returns to normal once chilled. Please refrigerate items immediately on delivery and be available to receive your order on the delivery day.

Perishable foods are exempt from the 14-day change-of-mind return; your statutory rights for genuine quality or safety issues remain unaffected.

Description

When my editor was like, “Do you want to write a story about shallots,” I jumped at the opportunity to better know my favorite allium. I opened up Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s famous poem about them, only to learn it wasn’t about shallots at all, but some lady. Of Shalott. No relation. Boo! I then learned that shallots and other guys who make you cry when cut are called LACRIMATORS. Perhaps you’ve dated one! But then my editor was like, “I need you to write about things that are actually useful to home cooks.” So here we are:

What are shallots?

Shallots are a member of the allium family (Allium cepa var., if you took Latin in high school). Its relatives include yellow onions, red onions, white onions, spring onions, Vidalia onions, garlic, leeks, chives, and scallions (a.k.a. green onions). Whew! Shallots grow from a bulb (called the mother) in clusters (the daughters!)—so if you’ve ever gotten two shallots for the price of one, that’s why. Like onions, they provide a building block of flavor for countless dishes, from creamy, mustardy chicken to vinaigrette.

There are a few different shallot cultivars grown around the world. The Jersey shallot is the type you’re most likely to find at the grocery store; it has rosy pink skin, a roundish shape, and purple-white flesh. But if you ask a Frenchman, he might tell you that the French gray shallot—alias: griselle—is the only true shallot. These highly sought-after shallots are smaller, longer, and have thicker, grayish skins. They also have to be hand-propagated (needy). Think of them as the heirloom tomatoes of the shallot family.