Know your Pearl Onion

• • Pearl Onions are small pearl-shaped bulbs that are usually 2 to 3cm (¾ to 1¼ inches) wide.

  • Their taste is sweet and mild, and they are grown mostly for pickling as a cocktail onion.

  • However, because of its unique diminutive appearance and much sweeter taste than a bulb onion, it has been used in dishes ranging from middle 20th century American casserole dishes such as succotash to sweetly-flavored onion relishes in Indian cuisine.

Know your Pearl Onion - Varieties

• • They are grown from many different varieties of onions, most of which would normally grow into regular-sized onions.

Species Allium cepa

• • Most pearl onions are produced from the species Allium cepa.

  • They are encouraged to grow small in several ways.

    • They can be planted closely together so that they grow small.

    • They can be harvested when still small.

    • A grower might plant short-day varieties in northern areas.

Species Allium ampeloprasum var. sectevum

• • In Europe, a common variety used for Pearl Onions (Allium ampeloprasum L. var. sectevum) produces a clump of small onion bulbs with white skins.

  • The plants form a clump of small daughter bulblets that may be used as pearl onions.

  • These are grown mainly in gardens in the east of Germany and, until recently, were grown commercially in the Netherlands.

  • The small bulbs can be grown from seed, but more typically are produced from bulblets.

  • At maturity each plant forms a cluster of short-stalked bulblets with silvery white skins.

  • These are traditionally pickled.

Know your Pearl Onion - Cultivation

• • White Pearl Onions are the most common, and the cheapest.

  • White varieties include Crystal Wax (aka White Bermuda). These have a very small neck, are mostly round, and are ready to harvest from seed in 90 days.

  • Producers allow them to dry a bit first before shipping them, so that they will store better.

  • You can buy them fresh, pickled or frozen (frozen will already be skinned.)

  • Fresh ones are usually packaged in small mesh bags, or in boxes, though sometimes they are sold loose.

  • Fresh ones should be heavy for their size.

Know your Pearl Onion - Cocktail Onions