Onion, Garlic, Leek, Shallot and Chives: How to Use the Allium Family at Home

Onion, garlic, leek, shallot and chives all belong to the same pungent family, and they all share the same sulphur chemistry. This page is for the cook who wants to get more out of them: which part is richest, whether raw beats cooked, how to make the old onion-and-honey syrup, and who should go easy on them.

What it is credited with

• Traditional folk medicine across Europe treated garlic as the kitchen’s winter ally, eaten daily through the cold months.
• Country remedies used onion macerated in honey for a tickly throat and a night-time cough, and the resulting syrup is still made in many households.
• Grandmother’s remedy books recommended a halved raw onion set beside the bed, or an onion poultice laid warm on the chest, for a stuffy winter night.
• Naturopathy credits leek broth with a mild flushing, water-shifting reputation, and suggests it as a light drink after a heavy few days of eating.
• Herbalists describe alliums as food-medicine rather than remedies: their argument is regular small amounts in cooking, not occasional large doses.
• Traditional kitchen wisdom gives chives the role of appetite-opener and gentle digestive, which is why they are scattered over dishes at the last moment.
• Old rural practice rubbed a cut shallot or onion onto insect stings, and shallot has long had a reputation as the easiest allium on a delicate stomach.

How to use it

Raw, the form tradition prefers

• Chop or crush, then wait about ten minutes before eating or cooking. That pause is what lets the enzymes meet the sulphur compounds.
• Raw is also the hardest on the stomach and the palate. Soften it: a clove of garlic mashed into a dressing, half a small onion in guacamole or gazpacho, a tablespoon of chopped chives over cottage cheese or eggs.
• Onion sliced thinly and left in a little vinegar or lemon juice for a quarter of an hour loses much of its bite and keeps its crunch.

Cooked

• Steamed, baked, fried or braised, alliums keep their flavonols and organosulphides, which stand up to heat. Vitamin C does not.
• When boiling, part of the goodness leaches into the water. Fine for soup — a loss if you tip it down the sink.
• Slow, gentle cooking turns the sulphur sharpness into sweetness, which is the trick for anyone who finds raw onion unbearable.

Onion-and-honey syrup

• Slice one onion thinly, layer it in a bowl with runny honey, cover, and leave overnight at room temperature.
• By morning a clear syrup has drawn out. Spoon it off, keep it in the fridge, use within two or three days.
• Traditionally taken by the spoonful, morning and evening, for a few days at a time during the cold season. Never give honey to a child under one year old.

Leek broth

• Use the green tops and outer leaves you would otherwise discard, well washed.
• Simmer them in water for twenty to thirty minutes, strain, and drink warm across the day.
• Naturopathy suggests it as a light one- or two-day drink, not as a long routine.

Choosing your bulb

• Slice as close to the root plate as you can — that base is one of the richest parts.
• As a rule of thumb, the darker and more coloured the bulb or leaf, the more flavonols it carries.
• Active compounds vary from one variety to another, even inside a single species, so rotate what you buy and grow instead of loyalty to one.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: chop or crush your allium, wait ten minutes, then use it — and cut as close to the root base as you can, because that is where the compounds gather.

Do I have to eat them raw?

No. Raw is the form tradition prefers, but quercetin, kaempferol and the organosulphides all tolerate heat, so cooked alliums still carry them. The heat-sensitive extras, vitamin C in particular, are what you lose. If raw onion sits badly with you, slow cooking is a perfectly good answer.

Which part of the onion is worth keeping?

The dark outer layers, the very centre and the base nearest the roots are the most concentrated parts. Most people trim away exactly those. Peel thinly, slice close to the root plate, and choose deeply coloured varieties, since the flavonols are also the pigments.

Why do onions make me cry?

Cutting ruptures cells that store enzymes and sulphur compounds separately. Once they meet, they produce volatile sulfenic acid, which reaches the eyes and triggers the stinging. A sharp knife, a chilled onion and good ventilation all reduce it.

Can I take garlic if I am on medication?

Garlic in cooking is one thing; concentrated garlic taken daily as a routine is another. If you take blood-thinning medicine or aspirin, or have surgery or a dental extraction coming up, ask your doctor or pharmacist before starting anything concentrated. The same goes if you are undergoing any therapy.

How do I make the onion-and-honey syrup?

Slice one onion thinly, layer it with runny honey in a covered bowl, and leave it overnight. Spoon off the clear syrup that has drawn out, keep it in the fridge and use it within two or three days. It is a traditional cold-season remedy for a scratchy throat, and it is not for babies under one year old.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.