Know your ONIONS
It’s that time of year when the vegetable patch is just starting to spring into life, and if you’re a keen gardener – or a kitchen witch, for that matter – chances are you’ve over-wintered some onions or shallots. Smaller and sweeter than onions, shallots are a really useful cook’s ingredient for all kinds of recipes, from stews to salads – and they’ve also been used in herbal medicine for centuries.
Shallots are commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine (one of the world’s oldest systems of medicine, developed in India over 3,000 years ago) where they’re prescribed for a range of ailments. They’re thought to have a ‘cooling effect’ on the body, so are used in reducing inflammation, muscle aches,
