Pickled onions are a food item consisting of
onions (cultivars of ''
Allium cepa''
)
pickled in a solution of
vinegar and
salt, often with other preservatives and flavourings.
[ Channel 4 Recipes - Pickled Onions]
Retrieved 26 May 2014 There is a variety of small white pickled onions known as
'silverskin' onions;
due to imperfections they are pickled instead of being wasted.
They are frequently used as an essential component of the
Martini cocktail
The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. A popular variation, the vodka martini, uses vodka ins ...
variant known as a
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
.
Pickled onions are usually pickled in malt vinegar and the onions are about in diameter. Silverskin onions are pickled in white vinegar, and are much smaller. Full sized onions, e.g., Spanish onions, can be pickled if sliced first.
By country
In the
United Kingdom, the onions are traditionally eaten alongside
fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. The dish originated in England, where these two components had been introduced from separate immigrant cultures; it is not known who created t ...
and with a
ploughman's lunch
A ploughman's lunch is an English cold meal based around bread, cheese, and fresh or pickled onions.Hessayon, ''The new vegetable and herb expert'', 2014, p. 73 Additional items can be added such as ham, green salad, hard boiled eggs, and ...
.
In the
Southern United States, pickled
Vidalia onion
A Vidalia onion ( or ) is one of several varieties of sweet onion grown in a production area defined by law of the U.S. state of Georgia since 1986 and the United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Varieties include the hybrid Yellow Gr ...
s can be served as a side dish.
In
Hong Kong, pickled onions are served in many
Cantonese restaurants, especially around dinner time, as a small dish before the main course is served.
In
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, they are served to accompany
raclette, along with pickled
gherkins.
In
Italy, it is known as 'maggiolina'.
In
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and M ...
, one preparation, cebollas encurtidas, has sliced red onions pickled in a mixture of citrus juices and vinegar, which is served as a garnish or condiment. Sometimes cooked beets are added, producing a more strongly pink coloured dish. Pickled red onions in
bitter orange juice are especially emblematic of
Yucatán cuisine, where they are used as a garnish or condiment, especially for seafood.
See also
*
List of pickled foods
References
Onion-based foods
Onion
English cuisine
Dutch cuisine
Swiss cuisine
Italian cuisine
American cuisine
Mexican cuisine
Hong Kong cuisine
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