I love onions. I love the look of them, the way they smell when you cook them, and the way they taste. There is one thing about onions I don't like, though. I'm sure that a lot of people will agree with me on this one. I hate the way onions make you tear up when they are cut.But I heard a great report on All Things Considered the other day about an onion that won't make you cry. The reporter spoke to a New Zealand plant geneticist who's been working on these onions. Collin Eady, from the Crop and Food Research institute, has found a way to block the gene in the onion cells which cause a person to tear up.
That mechanism is a natural defense for the onion. It's caused by the combination of the tearing gene and natural levels of sulfur in the cells of the bulb. Those components are separate in the whole cell, but its blinding power is unleashed when cut.
It will be a while before you'll see them in your local super market. The genetic modification would have to be proven safe for human consumption first. Or Mr. Eady could try and breed that quality into his onions, but that would take at least ten years anyway. Ah well. Stay tuned for some tips on how to avoid the tears when doing battle against those delicious bulbs.
Second Helping of Slashfood - June 19
Competitive-Eating Contest to Pit Humans Against Elephants
The Backyard Boom - The Hungry Bride
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-29-2008 @ 8:55AM
Baron said...
I'm with you, I love onions, but I could do without the tears. Cutting them isn't so bad (I hear lighting a candle in the area helps), but dropping them in the food processor really does a number on my eyes!
Reply
2-29-2008 @ 11:59AM
Jay Brennan said...
Firstly, while this may sound promising, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Consider how selective breeding has led to tasteless tomatoes or scentless roses. Onions are nature's way of reminding us that if you want to dance, you gotta pay the band.
Secondly, regarding ". . . but it's blinding power is unleashed when cut." "It's" means "it is." The possessive form of "it" is properly "its." No apostrophe. You wouldn't let someone slide if they wrote "tsp" instead of "tbs," would you?
Reply
2-29-2008 @ 1:26PM
Joel said...
I avoid the tears today! Here's how:
Slice off the blossom end of the onion (the top) and discard. Turn the onion on it's now flattened top and slice in half, quickly laying each half cut-side-down on your board. Peel off the first layer and discard. Make several vertical and one horizontal cut through each half, in the direction of top to bottom. The cuts should stop just short of separating the outer layer, and you should avoid cutting directly down the center line. Once both halves are pre-cut, complete the dice by bringing the knife down parallel to your first (top removing) cut, discarding the remaining end when finished.
All the eye-welling nasties are in the core, so if you keep that from contacting the air for too long, you can avoid unpleasantness. I can usually process an onion in under a minute this way, and with no tears!
Reply
2-29-2008 @ 1:40PM
Patrick said...
I'd rather get a little teary-eyed now and then (it's a rite of passage as far as I'm concerned) than eat an unnecessarily genetically engineered onion. Furthermore, wouldn't removing the Alliinase (the enzyme in question) alter the taste of the onion? The article doesn't address that.
Reply
2-29-2008 @ 11:54PM
Shayna Glick said...
to Jay Brennan:
Thanks for catching that mistake. I hate when I do that, and I try really hard not to. Oh, well, it should be corrected now.
Reply