Onions are round vegetables that grow underground and have many layers stacked inside each other, kind of like a ball made of rings! They have papery, crinkly skin on the outside and crisp, juicy layers on the inside. Onions can be white, yellow, red, or even purple, and people have been eating them for over five thousand years. Ancient Egyptians loved onions so much that they even used them as gifts! Onions are part of the same plant family as garlic and chives, and there are many relatives in this smelly veggie family.
Onions have a very strong smell and taste, and here is a fun fact about why they make people cry! When you cut into an onion, it releases a tiny gas into the air that floats up to your eyes and makes them sting and water. One trick to help with this is to chill the onion in the fridge before cutting it. Even though raw onions taste strong and sharp, something magical happens when you cook them: they turn soft, sweet, and delicious! Onions are used in kitchens all around the world to add flavor to soups, pizza sauce, burgers, and so many other yummy foods.
