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I just moved to the UK from the USA, where we had access to all sorts of onions (being in Texas): yellow onions, green onions, shallots, red onions, white onions, sweet onions, etc.

We bought a bag of onions from a store here and they were simply labeled "British Onions."

They are bigger than shallots, but definitely smaller than the onions we used to get from Mexico. They look yellow on the outside and are greenish/white on the inside, but they are not sweet - they are rather bitter ;)

Is this just a brand of a sweet onion that is grown in the UK?

Further, are these equivalent to an "English Onion," which I've seen online when searching this query?

Thanks!

Daddy Kropotkin
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    Note that they're very much not the same thing as [Welsh Onions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_fistulosum), which aren't even Welsh (and if you wanted Welsh Onions you'd have to grow them yourself - I have) – Chris H Oct 29 '21 at 14:36
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    But those "English Onions" you link are a further-localised version of what @GdD describes and I whinge about below – Chris H Oct 29 '21 at 14:37
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    In a 'decent' sized supermarket in the UK you should be able to get red-onion and shallots too, but thats about the limit of what typically is on offer (apart from size, organic status, named brand, etc.) EDIT: Unless you include spring/salad onion, which I believe are known as scallions in the USA. – Neil Tarrant Oct 29 '21 at 14:51
  • @NeilTarrant I sometimes see white onions (sold as "sweet onions") in Sainsbury's, but I've never bought them – Chris H Oct 29 '21 at 15:26
  • You mean The Daily Mash? (Get it? British version of The Onion? Ha ha... I'll see myself out ..) – Daniël van den Berg Oct 29 '21 at 22:13
  • @NeilTarrant I think it depends on region in the USA. I've always called them spring onions (grew up in Indiana) and my wife has always called them green onions (grew up in Alabama). But if someone calls them scallions we know what they mean. – BobRodes Oct 30 '21 at 13:47

1 Answers1

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"British Onion" on the packaging isn't describing a type of onion, but advertising that the onions were grown in Britain (which is a common strategy to make produce more appealing in British supermarkets).

The variety of onion is the 'default' onion in the UK, often known as a brown onion to distinguish from other types, but apparently also called a yellow onion. The Wikipedia article describes the variety: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_onion

Supermarkets will sometimes have a variety of sizes available, and the flavour may differ a little by time of year, size, ripeness etc. I'm sure you'll find this is not the only natural product that tastes different to what you're used to.

dbmag9
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    Get used to the deluge of British this and British that in the UK. British strawberries, British beef! It's gotten a bit OTT in my opinion. – GdD Oct 29 '21 at 14:18
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    @GdD the problem is that that large proud labelling appeals to (or is meant to appeal to) several groups: those who are concerned about the environmental impact of transporting food, those who believe that closer to home always means better quality, and those who get excited by the sight of their flag or nationality. That covers many of the population, certainly most of the political landscape, so I doubt it's going to go away. – Chris H Oct 29 '21 at 14:34
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    @ChrisH Or just want to support domestic producers. – Spagirl Oct 29 '21 at 14:38
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    @Spagirl that too. Those people would go well with the middle group (quality) rather than the more political groupings I mention to indicate the breadth of the target audience – Chris H Oct 29 '21 at 14:40
  • +1. I'd add that if you want them sweeter, the normal way is to caramelise them a bit more than you might otherwise do. Also, at a guess, the onions OP is used to are White Onions ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_onion ) which it is possible to get in the UK (but rarer). – abligh Oct 30 '21 at 06:17
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    Interesting. I think my whole life I have referred to this as a “white onion”, simply because I’ve never encountered a true white onion. – Tim Oct 30 '21 at 07:14
  • We're not entirely lacking in variety - [Sainsbury's onion selection](https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/fruit-veg/onions-leeks-garlic?) 'standard brown', red, white 'sweet', 2 varieties of shallot, 2 of spring onion. They sometimes do pink too, which are good for curries. – Tetsujin Oct 30 '21 at 07:58
  • Two things I recall from my time in England as a teenage boy 50 years ago: there was always English lamb, Australian lamb and New Zealand lamb, and the prices varied slightly; and there was zero interest in "curry." Seems at least the latter has changed a good deal; from watching British TV shows (Touch of Frost at least) it would seem that "fancy a curry?" is a way of asking someone out to dinner. :) – BobRodes Oct 30 '21 at 13:43
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    Thank you so much!!! And thanks to all for insightful (and at times goofy) comments! – Daddy Kropotkin Oct 31 '21 at 11:43
  • We also have this onion as the "default onion" in France. I just checked and it is called "yellow onion" (and then the rest of the label is about how it is produced in France, which region and producer etc. :)) – WoJ Oct 31 '21 at 13:35
  • @WoJ I'm just about old enough to remember 'Onion Johnnies' coming from France and cycling round selling onions from their bikes. according to Wikipedia there were only 160 of them operating by the time I recall in central Scotland in the early 70s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_Johnny We always had a string of french onions, a little larger I think than the standard UK ones these days. – Spagirl Nov 01 '21 at 15:23