National Onion Day 2020 - Important Date, History, Benefits, Facts, Quotes & How to celebrate the National Onion Day
National Onion Day 2020
National Onion Day is celebrated on June 27 of every year. National Onion Day 2020 is to enjoy the flavour of onion which brings numerous health benefits to our daily lives. On this National Onion Day, people across the country will celebrate the one of the oldest vegetables that grow in America.
The onion is the United States' third-most-eaten fresh vegetable. It's filled with heart-healthy nutrients to keep disease and certain cancers away. A study in China found that daily consumption of allium could reduce the incidence of bowel cancer by as much as 79%. Another research in Puerto Rico showed reduced breast cancer risk with allium intake.
What is the history of National Onion Day?
The National Onion Association created National Onion Day on June 27, 2019 to honor the onion growers and association's anniversary. The National Onion Association includes nearly 500 onion farmers, shippers, packers and related members around the nation. This association was formally incorporated in Ohio on June 27, 1913.
Onions are one of the oldest cultivated vegetables in the history, native to Central Asia from where they spread throughout the world. Some scholars believe that the onion was grown for 5000 years or more. Since onions grew wild in different areas, they were possibly eaten for thousands of years, and domesticated all over the world simultaneously.
About Onion
Onion is one of the most widely cultivated vegetables in the world. There are various sizes, shapes, flavour and colour of the onions available. The most popular forms of onions are red, yellow , and white. The taste of these vegetables can range from sweet and juicy to sharp, pungent and spicy, often depending on the growing and consuming season.
They are usually served cooked as a food item, as a part of a prepared savory meal, but may also be eaten raw, used to make pickles or chutneys. Yet the onion has a high nutritional value without losing flavor, unlike other diet foods.
What are the uses and health benefits of onions?
The onion, Allium cepa, belongs to the Allium family which is also known as bulb onion. Onions contain various vitamins, minerals and potent plant compounds which have been shown in several ways to promote health. In fact, onions' medicinal properties have been recognized since ancient times, when used to treat ailments such as headaches,mouth sores, and heart disease. Some of the health benefits are listed below:
Onions are rich in vitamin C and B
Onions are a good source of potassium and minerals
It is loaded with antioxidants
It improves heart health
It lower the blood sugar levels
It promotes the digestion
Helps to maintain bone health
It improves immune system
Contains antibacterial properties and prevents the inflammation and other allergies
Enhance the brain health
Contain cancer fighting compounds
Onions also serve as an economic boost. The onions, as a business, contribute $6 billion to U.S. markets. From farming to distribution, to grocers and restaurants, onions drive year-round economic growth.
How to observe the National Onion Day?
Celebrate the National Onion Day by buying some fresh onions from the markets and make the favourite onion dish. Some of the ideas to enjoy this day are as follows:
Go to markets and buy the organic onions
Visit the nearby local farms which cultivate the onions
Learn more about the history and benefits of onions
Learn to grow the onions at home
Try some new recipes using onions and enjoy with family
Use #NationalOnionDay on social media and share the celebration of onion day
Onion - Interesting facts
From the Bronze Age onions have been around. The oldest recorded harvest of onions dates back to around 5,000 BC, more than 7,000 years ago
The cause of the sulfuric acid in onions makes us cry when cut them
In the United States there are fewer than 1,000 farmers of onions. Every year approximately 125,000 acres of onions are planted in the US
Ancient Egyptians worshiped onions. They claimed eternity was symbolized by its spherical shape and concentric circles. They used to cover their rulers' tombs with pictures of onions, and onions played a vital role in ritual burials
The biggest onion ever was grown by British farmer Peter Glazebrook, who grew a monster-sized onion that weighed just under 18 pounds in 2011, according to The Guinness Book of World Records
New York City was called the Big Onion until it was known as the Big Apple, since it was a place where you could peel layer after layer without ever touching the core
Onions were an acceptable form of currency in the Middle Ages, and were used to pay for rent, goods and services
Onion - Quotes
“An onion can make people cry but there's never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.” - Will Rogers
“Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.” - Carl Sandburg
“It is hard to imagine a civilization without onions.” - Julia Child
“In onion is strength; and a garden without it lacks flavour. The onion, in its satin wrappings, is among the most beautiful of vegetables; and it is the only one that represents the essence of things. It can almost be said to have a soul.” - Charles Dudley Warner
“I think sometimes that people are like onions. On the outside smooth and whole and simple but inside ring upon ring, complex and deep.” - Karen Cushman
“My last refuge, my books: simple pleasures, like finding wild onions by the side of a road, or requited love.” - Tracy Letts
National Onion Day - FAQ
The vegetables can be grouped according to each plant's edible part: leaves (lettuce), stalks (celery), roots (carrot), tubers (potato), bulbs (onion), and flowers (broccoli). Alternatively, fruits like tomatoes and seeds like peas are usually called vegetables.
Many archaeologists and food historians claim that onions originated in Central Asia. Other studies indicate that in Iran and Western Pakistan, onions were grown first. Our ancestors are believed to have found and started consuming wild onions very early that is well before they invented farming or even writing.
Libya has the highest onion intake, with an impressive average of 66.8 pounds per capita consumption.
As per FY18 data, China appears to be the largest onion producer but the Netherlands is the largest exporter of onions. Asia sold the highest dollar value of exported onions in 2018 among continents with shipments estimated at $1.24 billion.
For many civilizations, onions were glorified for their healing properties. These are an anti-inflammatory, simple joint pain, good for ear infections, indigestion, act like an antibiotic and are a perfect expectorant in which hard phlegm is loosened up.