Shallots are thought to have originated from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula and have been cultivated for 5,000 years. In Indonesia, the largest shallot production centers are in Central Java, specifically in the areas of Brebes, Tegal, Boyolali, Pemalang, Magelang, Rembang, Kebumen, and Pati. This vegetable commodity is commonly used in various countries as a cooking spice, often a necessary complement to everyday dishes. Onion bulbs can also be consumed raw as pickles, and the skin of the bulb can be used as a coloring agent. Furthermore, shallots also have health benefits as a traditional medicine. The compounds allin and allicin contained in shallots function as antimicrobials with bactericidal properties.

Shallots can grow well in both lowlands and highlands (0-900 m above sea level). This plant is susceptible to high rainfall, where the appropriate rainfall for growth is between 300-2,500 mm/year, and temperatures range from 25-32 °C, with relative humidity between 80-90%. It prefers dry climates with slightly hot temperatures and gets more than 12 hours of sunlight (lighting ± 70%), and is open (does not require shade). The best soil type is sandy loam or silty loam with a soil pH of 5.5-6.5, fertile, loose, rich in organic matter, has good drainage and aeration.

• The roots are fibrous, white, and the root system is shallow.

• The bulbs are layered, purplish-red, ovate, and have a strong aroma. They contain cloves and are smaller than onions.

• The stems are pseudostems and are a small part of the entire flower bud.

• The leaves are light to dark green, turning yellow as they mature. They are cylindrical, elongated, and hollow, like pipes, with pointed and subulate tips. They grow upright and are relatively soft, and when crushed, they produce a distinctive odor.

• The inflorescences are compound, stalked clusters containing 50-200 flowers. The cluster stem has a head-shaped part with a slightly pointed tip, and a bulging center, resembling a hollow tube. They are ovate-oblong, white or pale purple. The flower buds contain six yellowish-green stamens and a pistil.

• The fruit is round with a blunt tip.

• The seeds are slightly flattened and small. Young seeds are translucent white and turn black as they mature.

• Propagation is carried out generatively (seeds) and vegetatively (tubers).

• Good quality tubers should be medium-sized, healthy (shiny, not porous, with undamaged skin, firm), with a smooth outer surface, and stored for 2-3 months after harvest.

• Planting distance is 20 x 15 cm or 15 x 15 cm.

• Harvest time is usually 80-70 days after planting (after signs of softening of the stem neck, plant collapse, and yellowing of the leaves appear).

• Fever reducer, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels, prevents thickening and hardening of blood vessels and ulcers, worm medicine, treats diarrhea, back pain, headaches, earaches (ringing in the ears), sore throats, coughs, nerve pain, colds, insect bites, helps cure breast cancer, has aphrodisiac, antioxidant, antifungal properties.

• Alkaloid, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, tanin, cyanogenetic glycosides, flavonoid (quercetin, isorhamnetin, quercetin 4’glucoside, quercetin 7-glucoside, quercetin 4’3-diglucoside, isorhamnetin 4’3-diglucoside), furostanol saponins (ascalonicoside A1 dan A2 (1,2) dan ascalonicoside B (4), allin, allisin, minyak atsiri.