Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History by Bill Laws - The Onion

This is a book I bought at a museum shop. I found it interesting to see which plants have made an impact on history and man. It is not a book to read from beginning to end so I take a plant at the time. I will make this a series which will be posted on Mondays. Don't worry, I will not mention all the plants, but some that are common and interesting. The first one is about the onion, Allium copa. 

Origin: Uncertain, probably Southwest Asia

Type: bulbous plant

Height: 30 cm or more

Edible: Yes

Medical: Yes

Merchandise: Yes

Technical: No

When you cut an onion, usually the tears start coming. It is due to a sulfur-containing substance which is released. It has the same   effects as pepper spray.  Research has been done to establish whether onion tears are the same as the tears you apply to grief? Charles Darwin determined that tears of grief did not differ from those caused by onions.  However, it turned out that Darwin was wrong. The American biochemist William Frey discovered that while all tears are composed of water, mucus and salt, tears of grief also contain proteins. This suggests that when a person cries, the body gets rid of stress-related chemicals. It is therefore useful to shed real tears. Maybe that is why I so easily cry when I read a sad book or is watching a sad movie?

Its origin is thought to be Southeast Asia around 5.000 years ago, although it is difficult to distinguish its exact origin. It is one of the world's oldest vegetables, together with peas, sallad and leek.

During roman and greek times it was a basic food product. Both the onion and garlic, Allium sativum, have a tradition of mysterious characteristics. If garlic could keep vampires away, the onion, if it was carried on the left side, keep diseases at bay. To burn an onion was a magic potion against disasters and to dream about them meant luck. If you wanted to know who your future beloved would be, you should put an onion under the pillow on 20 December. 

However that is, the onion is an important ingredient in many foods today.