What is useful onions?
Many of the useful properties of onions were known to our ancestors: today popular means with this vegetable are used for the treatment of colds, coughs and asthma. In the traditional direction, onions were used to treat angina, infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends it for the treatment of poor appetite and prevention of atherosclerosis, as well as for fighting anemia: the introduction of onions in the diet of starving Africans has significantly improved their health. This vegetable is rich in sulphides, which contribute to the reduction of tumors. For example, in the US state of Georgia, where onions are traditionally grown in industrial quantities, and the same amount is eaten, the incidence of stomach cancer is half that of the US as a whole. This trend is typical for Greece, where almost every day they consume onions and garlic. The lowest percentage of gastric cancer, 40% lower than among the Greeks, is in China. Chinese, like no nation in the world, loves and eats a vegetable: in one day on the table with an ordinary citizen of the Middle Kingdom, all six of the most commonly consumed varieties can appear. Similar patterns have been studied for breast cancer. Outcome: among those who willingly ate, the percentage of cases was significantly lower than among those who refused it. So, the more "poisonous" the onions, the more tears it causes, the more useful it is, since it will contain more active substances. But it is worth remembering: only regular use of onions will give positive results. It is with this formulation that WHO has added this plant to the list of the most universal products that promote health. The reverse side of the coin: the use of onions in large quantities can lead to inflammation of the mucosa, colitis and gastritis. So people with gastroenterological problems should choose more tender varieties.
Encyclopedia of onion
There are about 350 species of plants in the onion family and about 120 ways of using them by humans. Only 18 are suitable for food, and only six varieties are inexpensive and have all the useful properties. He can be very caustic, and in that case he has a place in soups, a hot stew, long burning on a fire stew. For salads should be used other varieties - sweet, for example, Spanish onions, white salad or Crimean, red and flat. The usual golden onion is good because it is stored for a long time and does not lose its nutritional value. After all, it contains vitamins C and B, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, fluorine, phosphorus, and its juice - plant antibiotics (phytoncides). To reduce the sharpness of the onion will help two simple methods: scalding with boiling water or marinating in vinegar already sliced rings or cubes.
Shalot
It looks like a large, smaller one, and instead of one big beautiful bulb, it forms many small ones. It is rich in vitamins C, B, B2, PP, carotene, mineral salts, sugar - the latter is larger in the bulb than in the leaves. Shallots are used to treat stomach and eye diseases. The delicate sweetish fragrance of the shallot is an indispensable component of French cuisine: it is introduced for both the famous onion soup and sauces. It is good in salad dressing and in snacks.
Garlic
He also belongs to the onion family, and, perhaps, he is the most aggressive towards bacteria. To ensure that garlic does not cause heartburn, it is necessary to remove the embryo germ in each tooth. For lovers of garlic, who do not want to "smell sweet" after the meal, there is also a small culinary secret: in order for the dish to have a tender and delicate garlic flavor, it is enough to grease the cut with a dent in the wall of a pan or baking dish. Kitchen accessories, with which slicing onion if it does not become a holiday, then tears will not cause exactly. The most common kitchen tool, designed to hobble onions: a glass or steel bulb with bulbs is covered with a lid with a piston. Pressing on him, the landladies put the knives on the bow - and a few minutes later crushed. However, it will take a little more effort than you need to cut the bulb with an ordinary knife. The bulb and strives to jump out from under the knife, which, changing the trajectory, it can well hit and on the fingers? It is to prevent such cases that this fork is intended: a lot of thick and frequent teeth firmly hold the bulb, but do not interfere with the knife. A handy tool can be used to keep the boiled or whole-baked chicken during cutting. Wash your hands with steel soap after you have finished with onions: organic sulfur compounds will enter into a simple reaction with steel and eliminate an unpleasant odor. By the way, steel soap helps to get rid of fish and garlic odors.
Leek
it has a gentle, mild taste, only remotely resembling the usual sharp onion. It contains vitamins C, E, B, B2, PP, carotene, a large number of salts of potassium, magnesium and iron. Leeks are used as a diuretic and choleretic agent. The presence of essential oils in this plant helps to improve appetite, stimulates the secretion of gastric juice, while at the same time does not irritate the digestive system. Another leeks purify the blood. This vegetable is an indispensable attribute of Asian and Spanish cuisines, it can be grilled, baked, added to salads or soups, cooked with it pies and casseroles. It is recommended as the main source of vitamin C in the fight against spring hypovitaminosis. Inexpensive and extremely useful product can be eaten raw - in salads, add to ready meals, bake pies with it and cook soups. The darker the onion, the more caustic it tastes, which is easy to kill, chewing a twig of parsley. This plant is also called a chopping, it has tiny bulbs and thin green feathers, which are allowed into the kitchen. They contain vitamins C, B, B2, carotene. Schnitt-onion improves secretory function of the intestine, stimulates appetite useful for the prevention of colds, is used in progressive atherosclerosis, has a helminthic effect. Violet-pink flowers of chives are also edible - and they can be decorated with salads. The tender texture and light aroma of this plant do not tolerate heat treatment, so it is added to the dishes before serving or used as a snack from cheese or eggs. And he is very fond of cats. After chewing onions for 2-3 minutes, you can kill all the microbes in your mouth, including those causing caries. Onions dilute blood, preventing the formation of blood clots. Kashitsa from onions with honey or olive oil - a natural recipe for acne treatment. Onions with honey are a popular remedy for coughing and starting sore throats. A spoonful of onion juice with a spoonful of ginger juice is an effective way to strengthen men's strength. Bactericidal properties of onions are helpful in disorders caused by intestinal infections.