Know your Pearl Onion

Know your Pearl Onion - Introduction

    • 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

    • Cocktail onions are pickled pearl onions.

    • They are small white mild flavored onions.

    • Few bars stock cocktail onions because they are only used to make a Gibson (classic Martini with onions instead of olives).

    • High end bars will stock them.

    • For the Gibson, one un-speared cocktail onion or two speared cocktail onions is proper.