Bulbs grow just above the ground. They produce a fleshy, leafy shoot above ground.
Common bulb vegetables include:
onions
garlic
shallots
leeks
spring onions.
Bulbs are usually made up of layers or segments clustered together. All of the common bulb vegetables listed above belong to the onion family so have much in common. However, they do vary a lot in shape, size, colour, texture and intensity of flavour.
Other characteristics include:
The skins of onions, garlic and shallots are dry and papery; the flesh is firm, and crunchy when raw.
Ranging from globe shaped and oval to long and relatively thin.
The skins range from white, brown to red and the flesh is either white or tinged with red.
Ranging from sharp and pungent to mild.
Pungent varieties are usually cooked. After lengthy gentle cooking, they become sweet, soft and mild. Less pungent varieties are also used raw. The most common way to cook is to fry or braise.