Onion Trivia

Onions have been a kitchen staple since as early as 3500 BC. Over the years, they've accumulated a reputation for their delicious and versatile flavor, their health benefits, and some other things that didn't make so much sense.

Sick with a flu? Try strapping an onion to your foot.

• An old fashioned remedy for the flu was placing a halved onion into a sock, slipping it onto an ailing person's foot and letting them sleep thus overnight. In the morning, the now-blackened onion would be full of the flu virus and the person would be feeling much better.

Ancient Egyptians worshiped onions

• There is evidence that pharaohs and other prominent figures were laid to rest with onions in their tombs. The religious significance of the onions was that the Egyptians saw the rings of the vegetable as a symbol of eternity- therefore making the odoriferous onion a sacred vegetable.

Onions fought in the Civil War

• Troops in the Civil war used onion to help heal wounds and to prevent gangrene. When Ullyses S. Grant's troops found themselves without any onions, he wrote Washington to report that he would not move forward until his troops got some onions.

They're full of Quercetin

• Quercetin is a flavonoid that may help in the prevention of cancer, inflammation, and it may also work as an antiviral substance. Red onions contain 32mg of Quercetin per 100g.

What are the 3 colors of onions most commonly sold in grocery stores?

• Red, white, and yellow

How many truckloads of onions are consumed each day?

• About 450 semi-truckloads 

 What should you do to get rid of onion breath?

• Eat parsley!

How many calories are in a single serving of onion? 

• 45 calories

How many pounds of onions, fresh and storage type, does the average American eat each year? 

• Approximately 20 pounds

There you have it - interesting trivia about the incredible edible onion!