Allium cepa L.
Sautéed in olive oil or butter, with or without garlic, onion is an essential seasoning ingredient used as a starting base to most Brazilian dishes – a practice inherited from the Portuguese colonizers. Strong flavored even after being subjected to long periods of cooking, it is also used in many stews and casseroles. Meat, fish, vegetables, eggs… onion goes well with almost everything, whether it is cooked in liquid, roasted or raw (in salads and salsas). White, yellow or purple, it is available in several formats, rounded to oval, giant to tiny little ones, which are widely used in pickled and brined vegetables. Some are quite spicy, but become milder and sweeter after cooking. Onion is produced all over Brazil, mainly in the South, Southeast and Northeast regions, but it is also imported from Argentina.
