Allium fistulosum

{{Short description|Species of plant}} {{stack begin}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Speciesbox | name = Welsh onion | taxon = Allium fistulosum | parent = Allium subg. Cepa | image = Welsh onion.jpg | image_caption = ''Allium fistulosum'' at a farm | image2 = Scallion 2.png | image2_caption = ''Allium fistulosum'' from a store | authority = L. | synonyms_ref = <ref name=peggy /> | synonyms = *''Allium bouddae'' Debeaux *''Allium kashgaricum'' Prokh. *''Cepa fissilis'' Garsault *''Cepa fistulosa'' (L.) Gray *''Cepa ventricosa'' Moench *''Kepa fistulosa'' (L.) Raf. *''Phyllodolon fistulosum'' (L.) Salisb. *''Porrum fistulosum'' (L.) Schur }} {{stack end}}

'''''Allium fistulosum''''', the '''Welsh onion''', also commonly called '''bunching onion''', '''long green onion''', '''Japanese bunching onion''', '''stone leek''', '''rock onion''' and '''spring onion''', is a species of perennial plant, often considered to be a kind of scallion.

The species is very similar in taste and odor to the related common onion, ''Allium cepa'', and hybrids between the two (tree onions) exist. ''A. fistulosum'', however, does not develop bulbs, and its leaves and scapes are hollow (''fistulosum'' means 'hollow'). Larger varieties of ''A. fistulosum'', such as the Japanese ''negi'', resemble the leek, and smaller varieties resemble chives. ''A. fistulosum'' can multiply by forming perennial evergreen clumps.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.floridata.com/ref/A/alli_fis.cfm |title=Floridata Profile |work=floridata.com |access-date=7 March 2009 |archive-date=17 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417100905/https://floridata.com/ref/A/alli_fis.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="TKG">{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Sylvia |title=The Kitchen Garden |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780553081381 |url-access=registration |publisher=Bantam Books |year=1995 |isbn=9780553081381}}</ref> It is also grown in a bunch as an ornamental plant.

== Names == The common name "Welsh onion" does not refer to Wales; indeed, the plant is neither indigenous to Wales nor particularly common in Welsh cuisine (the green ''Allium'' common to Wales is the leek, ''A. ampeloprasum'', the national vegetable of Wales<ref>{{cite web |title=The leek, national emblem of Wales |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fblogs%2Fwales%2Fentries%2F531cbdfa-be23-3bfa-b37e-446b779a94ec |website=BBC Wales |date=28 February 2013 |access-date=30 December 2021 |archive-date=17 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217010955/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/531cbdfa-be23-3bfa-b37e-446b779a94ec |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Welsh Leeks secures protection |url=https://www.gov.wales/welsh-leeks-secures-protection |website=wales.gov |date=29 November 2022 |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-date=24 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324023905/https://www.gov.wales/welsh-leeks-secures-protection |url-status=live }}</ref>). Instead, it derives from a near-obsolete botanical use of ''Welsh'' in the sense 'foreign, non-native' because the species is native to China, although it is cultivated in many places and naturalized in scattered locations throughout Eurasia and North America.<ref name="peggy">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=295569 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001142826/http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=295569 |archive-date=1 October 2013 |encyclopedia=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |article=Allium fistulosum |publisher=Kew Royal Botanical Gardens}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |dictionary=OED Online |entry-url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/227739#eid14610028 |entry=Welsh, ''adj''. and ''n''. |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=March 2023 |at=Def. 3 |entry-url-access=subscription |access-date=12 May 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405063540/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/welsh_adj#eid14610028 |url-status=live |title=Welsh, adj. & n. Meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary }}</ref>

Historically, ''A. fistulosum'' was known as the cibol.<ref>Ward, A: [http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/grocersencyclopedia/ency.html ''The Encyclopedia of Food and Beverage''] {{Webarchive |url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100212203301/http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/grocersencyclopedia/ency.html |date=12 February 2010 }}, New York, 1911. Retrieved 5 January 2007.</ref> In Cornwall, they are known as chibols, and in the west of Scotland as sybows.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |dictionary=OED Online |entry-url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/196088 |entry=sybow, ''n''. |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=March 2023 |entry-url-access=subscription |access-date=12 May 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405063430/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/sybow_n |url-status=live |title=Sybow, n. Meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |dictionary=OED Online |entry-url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/31513#eid9463634 |entry=chibol, ''n''. |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=March 2023 |at=Def. 1. |entry-url-access=subscription |access-date=12 May 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405063530/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/chibol_n#eid9463634 |url-status=live |title=Chibol, n. Meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary }}</ref>

The plant may also be called stone-leek or rock onion.<ref>{{cite web |title=stone-leek |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/stone-leek_n?tab=meaning_and_use#20394490100 |website=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=20 April 2026}}</ref> Other names that may be applied to this plant include green onion, salad onion and spring onion. These names are ambiguous, as they may also be used to refer to any young green onion stalk, whether grown from Welsh onions, common onions, or other similar members of the genus ''Allium'' (also see scallion).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |dictionary=OED Online |entry-url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/31513#eid9463762 |entry=chibol, ''n''. |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=March 2023 |at=Def. 2. |entry-url-access=subscription |access-date=12 May 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405063530/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/chibol_n#eid9463762 |url-status=live |title=Chibol, n. Meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary }}</ref>

== Culinary use == ''A. fistulosum'' is an ingredient in Asian cuisine, especially in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is particularly important in China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea, hence one of the English names for this plant, Japanese bunching onion.<ref name="m-botany">{{cite web |title=Allium fistulosum |website=Missouri Botanical Garden |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=256068 |access-date=13 June 2024 }}</ref>

In the West, ''A. fistulosum'' is primarily used as a scallion or salad onion, but is more widely used in other parts of the world, particularly East Asia.<ref name="Rabinowitch 18">{{cite book |last=Fritsch |first=R.M. |author2=N. Friesen |editor=H.D. Rabinowitch and L. Currah |title=''Allium'' Crop Science: Recent Advances |chapter=Chapter 1: Evolution, Domestication, and Taxonomy |year=2002 |publisher=CABI Publishing |location=Wallingford, UK |isbn=0-85199-510-1 |pages=18}}</ref>

=== China === In China, it is often used in scallion pancakes, and as a garnish for a variety of dishes. It is also mixed with meat, into shumai dumplings or pearl meatballs.

<gallery mode="packed" widths="130px" heights="130px" > File:Spring onion pancake 2013.JPG|Scallion pancakes File:Cong zhua bing.jpg File:HK 佐敦 Jordan 彌敦道 219 Nathan Road 莊士倫敦廣場 Chuang's Jordan Plaza shop 新新酒樓 Sun Sun Restaurant food 豉油熟油薑蔥蒸魚 Streamed fish December 2021 SS2 01.jpg|Scallion on steamed fish File:SZ 深圳 Shenzhen 鹽田 Yantian 深鹽路 Shenyan Road 壹海城道 One City Blvd Mall 清真蘭州牛肉麵 Qingzhen Lanzhou Beef Noodle Restaurant July 2023 Px3 09.jpg|Lanzhou beef noodles File:BeijingFood.jpg|Garnish for Peking Duck </gallery>

=== Japan === The Japanese name is ''negi'' (葱), which can also refer to other plants of the genus ''Allium'', or more specifically ''naganegi'' (長葱), meaning "long onion". Common onions were introduced to East Asia in the 19th century, but ''A. fistulosum'' remains more popular and widespread.<ref name="Rabinowitch 18" /> It is used in miso soup, ''negimaki'' (beef and scallion rolls),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/dining/18minirex3.html |title=Recipe – Chicken Negimaki |access-date=15 September 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=13 August 2010 |archive-date=27 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027121405/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/dining/18minirex3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> among other dishes, and it is in wide use as a sliced garnish, such as on ''teriyaki'' or ''takoyaki''.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

<gallery widths="130px" heights="130px" mode="packed"> File:Shinpuku Saikan Akihabara - Ramen (2022-01-15 11.50.47 by nakashi).jpg|Ramen noodles with ''negi'' File:Negitama gyudon, at Sukiya (2013.06.09).jpg|''Gyūdon'' with ''negi'' and raw egg File:Natto, with welsh onion and karashi by yoppy.jpg|Nattō topped with ''negi'' File:魚太郎半田店 20241027 1744-2.jpg|Sushi with ''negi'' sprouts </gallery>

=== Korea === {{Redirect|Silpa|people with the name|Shilpa}} {{See also|Allium × proliferum#Korea}} In Korea, ''A. fistulosum'' along with ''A.'' × ''proliferum'' is called '''''pa''''' ({{lang|ko|파}}, "scallion"), while common onions are called ''yangpa'' ({{lang|ko|양파}}, "Western scallion"). Larger varieties, looking similar to leek and sometimes referred to as "Asian leek", are called '''''daepa''''' ({{lang|ko|대파}}, "big scallion"), while the thinner early variety is called '''''silpa''''' ({{lang|ko|실파}}, "thread scallion"). A similar scallion plant, ''A.'' × ''wakegi'' (now considered a synonym of ''A.'' × ''proliferum''), is called ''jjokpa'' ({{lang|ko|쪽파}}). Both ''daepa'' and ''silpa'' are usually used as a spice, herb, or garnish in Korean cuisine. The white part of ''daepa'' is often used as the flavour base for various broths and infused oil, while the green part of ''silpa'' is preferred as garnish. Dishes using ''daepa'' include ''pa-jangajji'' (pickled scallions), ''pa-mandu'' (scallion dumplings), ''pa-sanjeok'' (skewered beef and scallions), and ''padak'' (scallion chicken), which is a variety of Korean fried chicken topped with shredded raw ''daepa''. Dishes using ''silpa'' include ''pa-namul'' (seasoned scallions), ''pa-jangguk'' (scallion beef-broth soup), and ''pa-ganghoe'' (parboiled scallion rolls) where ''silpa'' is used as a ribbon that bundles other ingredients.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

<gallery widths="130px" heights="130px" mode="packed"> File:Daepa (Allium fistulosum).jpg|Thick ''daepa'' type File:Silpa (Allium fistulosum).jpg|Thin ''silpa'' type File:Scallion kimchi.jpg|Scallion kimchi File:Panamul.jpg|''Pa-namul'' (seasoned blanched scallions) File:Korean food-Pamuchim-01.jpg|''Pa-muchim'' (seasoned shredded scallions) eaten with ''samgyeopsal'' (grilled pork belly) File:Pa-sanjeok.png|''Pa-sanjeok'' (skewered beef and scallions) File:Korean fried chicken 5 padak.jpg|''Padak'' (scallion chicken) </gallery>

=== Russia === ''A. fistulosum'' is used in Russia in the spring for adding green leaves to salads.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

=== Jamaica === Known as escallion,<ref>{{cite web |title=Major Pests of Escallion (''Allium fistulosum'') in Jamaica |url=http://www.moa.gov.jm/PlantHealth/data/Major%2520pests%2520of%2520Escallion%2520in%2520jamaica.pdf |publisher=Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Jamaica |date=November 2006 |access-date=15 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505035139/http://moa.gov.jm/PlantHealth/data/Major%20pests%20of%20Escallion%20in%20jamaica.pdf |archive-date=5 May 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''A. fistulosum'' is an ingredient in Jamaican cuisine, in combination with thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, and allspice (called pimento). Recipes with escallion sometimes suggest leek as a substitute in salads. Jamaican dried spice mixtures using escallion are available commercially.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The Jamaican name is probably a variant of scallion, the term used loosely for the spring onion and various other plants in the genus ''Allium''.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

=== Argentina === It is used to make empanadas and locro, as well as other traditional dishes.

== Nutrition == {{nutritional value | name=Welsh onions, raw | kJ=142 | protein=1.9 g | fat=0.4 g | carbs=6.5 g | fiber=2.4 g | sugars=2.18 g | calcium_mg=52 | iron_mg=1.22 | magnesium_mg=23 | phosphorus_mg=49 | potassium_mg=212 | sodium_mg=17 | zinc_mg=0.52 | manganese_mg=0.137 | vitC_mg=27 | thiamin_mg=0.05 | riboflavin_mg=0.09 | niacin_mg=0.4 | pantothenic_mg=0.169 | vitB6_mg=0.072 | folate_ug=16 | vitA_mcg=0 | vitE_mg=0.51 | vitK_ug=193.4 | source_usda = 1 | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170007/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }}

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Allium fistulosum Ypey26.jpg|''A. fistulosum'' File:Cong-Guizhou.jpg|Grown in Guizhou, China File:蔥 20190406113849.jpg|Flower File:Allium fistulosum MHNT.BOT.2011.3.23.jpg|''A. fistulosum'' – MHNT </gallery>

== See also == * List of'' Allium'' species

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{Commons-inline}} * {{cite web|title=PROTAbase on ''Allium fistulosum''|url=https://prota.prota4u.org/protav8.asp?h=M1,M11,M12,M14,M15,M16,M18,M19,M20,M23,M25,M26,M27,M28,M34,M36,M4,M6,M7,M8,M9&t=Allium,fistulosum&p=Allium+fistulosum#Protologue}} * [http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2007-11-09/005114265628.shtml World's Largest ''Allium fistulosum'']

fistulosum Category:Flora of China Category:Leaf vegetables Category:Onions Category:Perennial vegetables Category:Plants described in 1753 Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Russian cuisine