The difference between shallots, green onions, scallions and spring onions (2024)

FAQs

The difference between shallots, green onions, scallions and spring onions? ›

In the beginning, we have immature onions without a bulb – these are green onions (or green shallots). Mid-way through their growth, the onions start to bulb – these are spring onions scallions or salad onions. They impart a milder flavour than mature onions. Once the onions are harvested, they are regular onions.

The true shallot is actually a bulb with a more delicate garlic-like flavour than an onion, while the scallion, also known as spring or green onion, which is thin, with a white bulb and edible stalks, is in fact an unripe, sweet onion that is picked before the bulb matures.

Spring onions often get confused with scallions or green onions. Scallions and green onions are the same. Spring onions are different, they are on the bottom in this photo, scallions are on top. Spring onions are onions harvested very young once they start to develop bulbs.

It depends what Aussie state you live in. In NSW, the long, green, thin variety of onion (as shown above) is called a shallot. The more bulbous variety on the left is knows as a spring onion. In many other states, such as Queensland, it's the other way around.

In the US, scallions and green onions (both names are used) are the same thing; they will never have a bulb on them, and the green stem is used as much as the white end. In the US, a spring onion is a regular onion that is harvested early; the stem isn't used.

Spring onions and shallots are really two very different ingredients, and it's not advised to use one as a substitute for the other in a recipe. Shallots are much milder and sweeter, and spring onions may add some unwanted pungency when a dish calls for shallots instead!

Shallots look completely different from green onions and chives since they are oval elongated onions. It is purple or copper in color and is smaller than a regular onion. As for spring onions, it is larger than green onions and chives and has a small onion bulb in the base.

Although they both have a mild onion flavor, chives and green onions (aka scallions) are not the same thing. Chives are smaller, thinner, and more delicate than green onions, and they don't have an edible bulb at the bottom. Compared to green onions, chives have a much milder onion flavor.

Why do chefs use shallots instead of onions? Some chefs favor shallots because their subtle allium flavor doesn't as easily overpower other flavors in a dish. That said, both onions and shallots are commonly used in professional kitchens, often even in conjunction.

Both the plant tops and the bulbs can be eaten, so the time to harvest a shallot plant depends on the part you will be using. The tops can be harvested within 30 days and are commonly used in soups, salads, and stews. The bulbs will take around 90 days to mature.

What do Brits call cucumbers? ›

The cucumbers which are simply called 'cucumbers' in North America are not widely available in Britain and are seen as unpalatable in the UK. They are sometimes known as 'garden cucumbers'. What North Americans call 'English cucumbers' are just called 'cucumbers' in Britain.

English zucchini goes by courgette in England, the French word for the green gourd. The United States inherited the Italian name, and both terms reference the summer squash. Note that the word squash refers to a fruity drink in Britain, and a mature version of the courgette fruit becomes marrow.

Cilantro and coriander come from the plant species — Coriandrum sativum ( 1 ). However, they are named differently in different parts of the world. In North America, cilantro refers to the leaves and stalks of the plant. The word “cilantro” is the Spanish name for coriander leaves.

The term eschalot, derived from the French word échalote, can also be used to refer to the shallot.

Shallots are one of the more versatile ingredients you'll ever come across. They can be used as aromatics to build flavor in a sautéed dish, stock or sauce the same way garlic or onions are sauteed at the beginning of a recipe. Like other vegetables, they can even be roasted whole and served as a side dish.

Allium fistulosum, the Welsh onion, also commonly called bunching onion, long green onion, Japanese bunching onion, and spring onion, is a species of perennial plant, often considered to be a kind of scallion.