Shallot

{{Short description|Variety of small onion}} {{About|the French red shallot|the Persian shallot|Allium stipitatum|the French grey shallot|Allium oschaninii|the fictional character|Clifton Shallot}} {{See also|Allium fistulosum#Ambiguous names}} {{Infobox cultivar | name = Shallot | image = Shallots - sliced and whole.jpg | image_caption = Sliced and whole red shallots | species = ''Allium cepa'' <small>(see text)</small> | group = Aggregatum Group | origin = }}

The '''shallot''' {{IPAc-en|ʃ|ə|ˈ|l|ɒ|t}} is a cultivar group of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with ''Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the difference was too small to justify a separate species.<ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | access-date=2010-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Fritsch |first=R. M. |author2=N. Friesen |editor=H. D. Rabinowitch and L. Currah |title=Allium Crop Science: Recent Advances |url=https://archive.org/details/alliumcropscienc00curr |url-access=limited |chapter=Chapter 1: Evolution, Domestication, and Taxonomy |year=2002 |publisher=CABI Publishing |location=Wallingford, UK |isbn=0-85199-510-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/alliumcropscienc00curr/page/n33 21]}}</ref>

As part of the onion genus ''Allium'', its close relatives include garlic, scallions, leeks, chives,<ref name=Block2010>{{cite book|author=Block, E.|title=Garlic and Other Alliums: The Lore and the Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6AB89RHV9ucC|publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|year=2010|isbn=978-0-85404-190-9}}</ref> and the Chinese onion.<ref name="AN">{{cite web |url=http://www.allallergy.net/fapaidfind.cfm?cdeoc=684 |title=AllergyNet&nbsp;— Allergy Advisor Find |publisher=Allallergy.net |access-date=April 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615004222/http://allallergy.net/fapaidfind.cfm?cdeoc=684 |archive-date=15 June 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== Etymology and names== The names ''scallion'' and ''shallot'' are derived from the Old French {{lang|fro|eschalotte}}, by way of {{lang|fro|eschaloigne}}, from the Latin {{lang|la|Ascalōnia caepa}} or Ascalonian onion, a namesake of the ancient city of Ascalon.<ref>[https://www.balashon.com/2006/07/scallion_05.html?m=1 "scallion"], at ''Balashon - Hebrew Language Detective'', 5 July 2006. Accessed 28 Feb 2024.</ref><ref>{{cite book |contribution=shallot |title=New Oxford American Dictionary |edition=Second |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |title-link=New Oxford American Dictionary}}</ref><ref>[http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/shallot shallot]. CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved 30 September 2012.</ref>

The term ''shallot'' is usually applied to the French red shallot (''Allium cepa'' var. ''aggregatum'', or the ''A. cepa'' Aggregatum Group). It is also used for the Persian shallot or ''musir'' (''A. stipitatum'') from the Zagros Mountains in Iran and Iraq, and the French gray shallot (''Allium oschaninii'') which is also known as ''griselle'' or "true shallot";<ref name="Field Guide">{{Citation |last1=Green |first1=Aliza |title=Field Guide to Produce: How to Identify, Select, and Prepare Virtually Every Fruit and Vegetable at the Market |publisher=Quirk Books |page=256 |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-931686-80-8 }}</ref> it grows wild from Central to Southwest Asia. The name ''shallot'' is also used for a scallion in New South Wales, Australia<ref>{{cite web |title=Spring onions v shallots |date=22 January 2013 |url=https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/the-name-game--spring-onions-v-shallots-20130121-2d2fg |access-date=May 14, 2019 }}</ref> and among English-speaking people in Quebec while the term ''French shallot'' refers to the plant referred to on this page.<ref>{{cite web |title=Montreal public market site |url=http://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/en/produits/green-onion-shallot/?filter_market=436 |publisher=Montreal public markets |access-date=August 28, 2014 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630220728/http://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/en/produits/green-onion-shallot/?filter_market=436 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In most English-speaking nations, the name is pronounced with the emphasis on the last syllable in common with the French pronunciation, {{Respell|sha|LOT}}, while the emphasis is commonly made on the first syllable, {{Respell|SHAL|ət}}, in the United States.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The term ''eschalot'', derived from the French word {{lang|fr|échalote}}, can also be used to refer to the shallot.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dictionary: eschalot |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eschalot |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref>

== Description and cultivation == [[File:A. cepa var. aggregatum conreu.JPG|thumb|Shallot plant (''A. cepa var. aggregatum'') growing in Castelltallat, Spain]] thumb|Whole shallot plants consist of roots, bulbs, leaves, stalks, and flowers. thumb|Shallot seeds Like garlic, shallots are formed in clusters of offsets with a head composed of multiple cloves. The skin colour of shallots can vary from golden brown to gray to rose red, and their off-white flesh is usually tinged with green or magenta.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nolte|first=Kurt|title=Shallot.pdf|url=https://cals.arizona.edu/fps/sites/cals.arizona.edu.fps/files/cotw/Shallot.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122161314/https://cals.arizona.edu/fps/sites/cals.arizona.edu.fps/files/cotw/Shallot.pdf|archive-date=January 22, 2021|access-date=May 8, 2021|website=College of Agriculture and Life Sciences {{!}} The University of Arizona}}</ref>

Shallots are extensively cultivated for culinary uses, propagated by offsets. In some regions ("long-season areas"), the offsets are usually planted in autumn (September or October in the Northern Hemisphere).<ref>{{Citation |last=Hunt |first=Marjorie B. and Bortz, Brenda |year=1986 |title=High-Yield Gardening |location=Pennsylvania |publisher=Rodale Press |isbn=0-87857-599-5}}</ref> In some other regions, the suggested planting time for the principal crop is early spring (typically in February or the beginning of March in the Northern Hemisphere).<ref>{{Citation |last=Seabrook |first=Peter |year=1976 |title=Complete Vegetable Gardener |location=London |publisher=Cassell |isbn=978-0-304-29738-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/peterseabrooksco00seab }}</ref>

In planting, the tops of the bulbs should be kept a little above ground, and the soil surrounding the bulbs is often drawn away when the roots have taken hold. They come to maturity in summer, although fresh shallots can now be found year-round in supermarkets. Shallots should not be planted on ground recently manured. Shallots suffer damage from leek moth larvae, which mine into the leaves or bulbs of the plant.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Landry|first=Jean-François|title=Taxonomic review of the leek moth genus Acrolepiopsis (Lepidoptera: Acrolepiidae) in North America|url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.4039/n06-098|journal=The Canadian Entomologist|year=2007|language=en-US|volume=139|issue=3|pages=319–353|doi=10.4039/n06-098|s2cid=86748199|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Nutrition== A raw shallot is 80% water, 17% carbohydrates, 2.5% protein and contains negligible fat (table). In a reference amount of {{convert|100|g}}, raw shallot supplies 72 calories and is a rich source of vitamin B6 (27% of the Daily Value, DV), while providing moderate amounts of manganese (14% DV) and vitamin C (10% DV) (table). No other micronutrients are in significant content.

{{nutritional value | name=Shallots, raw | water=80 g | kJ=301 | protein=2.5&nbsp;g | fat=0.1&nbsp;g | carbs=16.8&nbsp;g | fiber=3.2&nbsp;g | sugars=7.87&nbsp;g | calcium_mg=37 | iron_mg=1.2 | magnesium_mg=21 | phosphorus_mg=60 | potassium_mg=334 | zinc_mg=0.4 | manganese_mg=0.292 | vitC_mg=8 | vitE_mg=0.04 | vitK_ug=0.8 | thiamin_mg=0.06 | riboflavin_mg=0.02 | niacin_mg=0.2 | pantothenic_mg=0.29 | vitB6_mg=0.345 | folate_ug=34 | source_usda = 1 | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170499/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }}

== Uses == === Culinary === Shallots are <!--popular with gourmets {{citation needed|date=August 2012}}, being -->used in cooking. They may be pickled. Finely-sliced deep-fried shallots are used as a condiment in Asian cuisine, often served with porridge. Shallots taste similar to other cultivars of the common onion, but have a milder flavor.<ref>{{cite web | title = Kitchen Dictionary: shallot | url = http://www.food.com/library/shallot-127 | publisher = Scripps Networks | access-date = December 4, 2013}}</ref> Like onions, when sliced, raw shallots release substances that irritate the human eye, resulting in production of tears.

Fresh shallots can be stored in a cool, dry area (0 to 4&nbsp;°C, 32 to 40&nbsp;°F, 60 to 70% RH) for six months or longer.<ref>{{cite web | title = Onions, Garlic, and Shallots | url = http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-411/426-411.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19990901193443/http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-411/426-411.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = September 1, 1999 | publisher = Virginia Cooperative Extension | date = May 1, 2009 | access-date = March 13, 2013 }}</ref> Chopped, dried shallots are available.<ref>{{cite web | title = Shallots, Freeze Dried | url = http://www.mccormickforchefs.com/Products/Brands/McCormick-Culinary/Shallots-Freeze-Dried.aspx | publisher = McCormick & Co. Inc | date = 2011 | access-date = March 13, 2013}}</ref>

=== Europe === In Europe, the Pikant, Atlas, and Ed's Red types of shallots are the most common.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

=== Asia === Shallots are the traditional choice for many dishes in Sri Lankan cuisine, including pol sambola, lunu miris and many meat, fish and vegetable dishes.

In most Indian cuisines, the distinction between onions and shallots is weak; larger varieties of shallot are sometimes confused with small red onions and used interchangeably. Indeed, most parts of India use the regional name for onion interchangeably with shallot (Maharashtra, for instance, where both are called ''kanda''). The southern regions of India distinguish shallots from onions in recipes more often, especially the much loved tiny varieties (about the width of a finger); these are widely used in curries and different types of ''sambar'', a lentil-based dish. Shallots pickled in red vinegar are common in many Indian restaurants, served along with sauces and papad on the condiments tray. They are also used{{Clarify|fresh, fried, or pickled?|date=January 2012}} as a home remedy for sore throats, mixed with jaggery or sugar. In Nepal, shallots are used as one of the ingredients for making ''momo''.

In Kashmir shallots are widely used in preparation of Wazwan Kashmiri cuisine, as they add distinct flavor and prevent curry from becoming black, which is common with onions.

In Iran shallots are used in various ways, the most common being grated shallot mixed into dense yogurt, a combination served in almost every restaurant when one orders grills or kebabs. Shallots are also used to make different types of ''torshi'' (ترشی), a sour Iranian side dish consisting of a variety of vegetables under vinegar, eaten with main dishes in small quantities. Shallot is also pickled&mdash;called ''shour'' (شور) in Persian&mdash;along with other vegetables to be served as ''torshi''.

In Southeast Asian cuisines, such as those of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Brunei, both shallots and garlic are often used as elementary spices. Raw shallots can also accompany cucumbers when pickled in mild vinegar solution. They are also often chopped finely, then fried until golden brown, resulting in tiny crispy shallot chips called ''bawang goreng'' (fried shallots) in Indonesian, which can be bought ready-made from groceries and supermarkets. Shallots enhance the flavor of many Southeast Asian dishes, such as fried rice variants. They are also often present in noodle and slaw dishes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lopez-Alt |first=J. Kenji |date=May 23, 2022 |title=What Store-Bought Fried Shallots Can Do for You |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/dining/fried-shallots-southeast-asian-pantry.html#:~:text=Crisp%2C%20sweet%20and%20aromatic%2C%20fried,paired%20with%20eggs%20and%20rice. |access-date=January 12, 2024 |website=New York Times}}</ref> Crispy shallot chips are also used in southern Chinese cuisine. In Indonesia, shallots are sometimes pickled and added to several traditional foods; the pickles' sourness is thought to increase the appetite. In the southern Philippines, shallot bulbs and leaves are used to make the popular spicy Maranao condiment called palapa, which is used in the dish piaparan.

The tubular green leaves of the plant can also be eaten and are very similar to the leaves of spring onions and chives.

==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed"> File:Shallot (Sambar Onion) (1).JPG|Shallots for sale in India File:Woman chopping shallots.jpg|Shallots being chopped for satay File:Sliced shallots for bawang goreng.JPG|Sliced shallots for ''bawang goreng'' in Indonesia File:Fried shallots bawang goreng.JPG|''Bawang goreng'', consisting of crispy deep-fried shallots, is a popular garnish in Indonesia. File:Delft pickled shallots.jpg|Pickled shallots </gallery>

== See also == * Scallion

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{Wiktionary-inline|shallot}} * {{Commons category-inline|Shallot}}

{{Allium}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Allium Category:Asian vegetables Category:Onions Category:Perennial vegetables Category:Root vegetables Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Miniature versions of vegetables