Just for Kids
Onions for Kids
How long have onions been around?
The onion is an ancient vegetable thought to have come from Central Asia. It has been grown for over 5,000 years in Egypt, 2,000 years in Italy and more widely in Europe during the Middle Ages.
In Ancient Egypt, onions were seen as a symbol of the universe and they were represented in carvings in pyramids built between 2500 and 2200 BC. Along with beer and bread, onions were an important food for Egyptian peasants around 1200 BC and have been found depicted in many Egyptian tombs. Onions were also sold in the streets of Ur, in ancient Mesopotamia, 5,000 years ago.
Around 60 AD, Greek physicians prescribed onions for eating and medicinal reasons. Richard II, King of England, had many recipes using onions in his 1390 “cookbook.”
