Know Your Onions (and Shallots and Leeks and Ramps)

Ever wonder about the difference between a spring onion and a scallion? A ramp and a scape? Melissa Clark has a crash course for you.

You may dote on your garlic, adore your onions, worship your shallots, but do you really know the difference between a spring onion and a scallion? A ramp and a ramson? A Welsh onion and a leek? The base of countless dishes across nearly every cuisine, alliums are an essential kitchen staple. But they’re also bewildering, with unfixed and overlapping designations that can be difficult for even professionals to classify. (“Allium,” the Latin word for garlic, refers to a genus of plants that includes hundreds of species edible and decorative and sometimes both.) Edible alliums are linked by their stink, a pronounced aroma caused by the sulfur compounds that make them up. This odoriferous character, ranging from sweet and herbal to strident and metallic, means you always know when there’s an allium in the room, often before it’s even sliced. It’s these same sulfurous vapors that can sting your eyes. (To curb any tears, chill especially aggressive varieties like onions and shallots before chopping.) But alliums’ harshness mellows considerably when cooked, their sugars browning and caramelizing. Or if using raw alliums, tame their bite by rinsing them under cool water or soaking them in an acid like lemon juice or vinegar for a few minutes before whisking into dressings and sauces.