Spring onions. Tender and crunchy with a spicy bite, I see them all the time in Banh Mi, Peking Duck, stir fries, salads and pancakes. Or do I? The naming of this versatile vegetable is probably one of the most confusing, we all seem to call it a different name, often incorrectly. I grew up knowing it interchangeably as Spring Onions and Shallots, and using them when the recipe called for Green Onions or Scallions. So, what is the difference?
Well they are all members of the Allium family, and in Australia (or at least New South Wales):
Shallots, Schallots, Eschallots are smaller than an onion with a papery shell, often bronze or golden coloured. They are sweeter and milder than a brown onion and are often used whole in stews or finely diced and used raw. Green Shallots refer to Spring Onions.
