L’oignon est cultivé par l’homme depuis des millénaires, d’abord en Chaldée, puis en Égypte depuis les premières dynasties, en Mésopotamie 3000 ans avant Jésus-Christ, en Grèce et dans toute l’Europe. On en fait mention dans des textes de l’Égypte antique datant de plus de 4 000 ans, ainsi que dans la Bible. Au Moyen Âge, il est consommé abondamment et fait partie des recettes médicinales, mais aussi des superstitions, voire même de la sorcellerie. Il est censé guérir les verrues, ses cataplasmes calmeraient la douleur et feraient disparaître la typhoïde. À cette époque, il était fréquent de penser que laisser un oignon entamé sur une table porte malheur ou qu’une jeune fille dormant avec un oignon sous son oreiller rêvera à son soupirant. L’oignon est l’une des premières plantes européennes à être cultivées en Amérique, d’abord dans les Caraïbes, où Christophe Colomb l’y introduit lors de son deuxième voyage en 1493. Sa bonne conservation et ses propriétés antiscorbutiques connues de longue date en ont fait un des aliments préférés des marins. Aujourd’hui, on le produit dans toutes les régions tempérées du globe. Outre ses qualités gustatives, l’oignon apporte environ 34 kcal pour 100 g. Il est riche en potassium, magnésium, phosphore et calcium et contient une bonne dose de vitamine C et d’antioxydants. On a donc tout intérêt à utiliser l’oignon, de toutes les façons possibles. Mais son épluchage qui déclenche souvent des larmes peut mettre un frein aux ardeurs de ceux ou celles qui ont les yeux fragiles. En effet, le soufre contenu dans l’oignon, ainsi que dans tous les végétaux de la famille Allium (ail, poireau, ciboulette, etc.) est libéré lorsqu’on le coupe. Il entre alors en contact avec l’alliinase (une enzyme de l’oignon) et une réaction chimique produit un acide volatil irritant pour les yeux qui, pour se protéger, produisent des larmes. Petit truc du chef : Pour éviter ou atténuer les effets désagréables lorsque l’on coupe un oignon, on peut l’éplucher sous l’eau du robinet qui coule et le mettre au congélateur pendant 15 minutes avant de le couper.
It is believed to originate from India or the Iranian deserts, even African ... This birth in arid climates makes it a thick skin and allows it to gorge itself with water. In any case, melon was already cultivated in Egypt five centuries before our era. It crossed the Mediterranean to reach Greece, and then to Rome, around the 1st century. This melon was then small and not very sweet; the Greeks consumed it mostly in salads, salted, peppered and vinegared. Italian monks brought it back from Armenia in the 15th century and began to cultivate it in the region of Cantaluppo (hence the name "cantaloup"). Melon is a vegetable-fruit rich in water (90%) and potassium, which gives it thirst-quenching and diuretic properties. It is nevertheless rather sweet (11g of carbohydrates per 100g and 48 kcal), like most fruits. On the vitamin side, it is particularly rich in provitamin A (carotene), for which 100g of melon covers half of the recommended daily intakes. It is also well-stocked with vitamin C. Did you know? From the end of the 19th century until the Second World War, our great metropolis of Quebec produced the "melon de Montréal". This variety with impressive dimensions and high flavor was highly sought after. In Boston and New York, a slice of the delicious fruit in a restaurant was as expensive as a steak! The "melon de Montréal" was grown as far back as 1684 by the Jesuits until about 1950 on farms on what is now known as "Notre-Dame-de-Grâce" by the Décarie family who left their name at one of our highways. Its popularity decreased in the 1950s and the "melon de Montréal" disappeared completely from our markets. In the mid-1990s, however, it was thought to have found seeds of the famous melon in a seed bank in Iowa, USA. After a few years of testing, the controversy rages: is it really the "melon de Montréal"? The seeds available in some merchants give a fruit that resembles it, but which would not have its great legendary format nor exactly the same taste spiced according to some. The mysterious "melon de Montréal" may one day make its reappearance on our stalls! To be continued…Onion has been cultivated by man for millennia, first in Chaldea, then in Egypt since the first dynasties, in Mesopotamia 3000 years BC, in Greece and throughout Europe. It is mentioned in texts from ancient Egypt dating back more than 4,000 years, as well as in the Bible. In the Middle Ages, it is consumed abundantly and is part of the medicinal recipes, but also of the superstitions, even of sorcery. It is supposed to cure warts, its poultices calm the pain and make typhoid disappear. At that time it was common to think that leaving an onion on a table would bring misfortune or that a girl sleeping with an onion under her pillow will dream of her suitor. Onion is one of the first European plants to be grown in America, first in the Caribbean, where Christopher Columbus introduced it on his second voyage in 1493. Its good preservation and its long-known anti-scorbutic properties Have made it one of the favorite foods of sailors. Today it is produced in all temperate regions of the globe. In addition to its flavor quality, the onion brings about 34 Kcal per 100 g. It is rich in potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium and contains a good dose of vitamin C and antioxidants. It is therefore important to use onion in every possible way. But his peeling that often triggers tears can put a brake on the ardor of those who have fragile eyes. In fact, the sulfur contained in the onion, as well as in all vegetables of the Allium family (garlic, leek, chive, etc.) is released when cut. It then comes into contact with alliinase (an enzyme of the onion) and a chemical reaction produces a volatile acid irritating to the eyes which, to protect themselves, produce tears. Chef's Little Tip: To avoid or mitigate unpleasant effects when cutting an onion, you can peel it under running tap water and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting it.
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