If you want to give a spicy flavor to your dishes, you cannot stop cooking the shallot. Its name probably does not tell you much, and it is not well known yet. However, due to how easy it is to grow it, it is highly recommended to make a hole in the garden.
So, would you like to learn more about it and be able to taste some dishes with a unique flavor?
What is the escalonia like?
The shallot, also known by the common names of shallot / s, shallot / s, ascalonia or escaonia, and with the scientific Allium ascalonicum, is a bulbous herbaceous plant from Palestine. Its edible part is a kind of onion but with »teeth»like garlic.
There are three varieties:
- Jersey: the bulbs are round, red in color.
- Thick of Alencón: the bulbs are the largest.
- Small or common: the bulbs are medium-sized, green-violet in color, with a reddish cover.
It is grown as an annualalthough it can be allowed to grow to emit flowers, which will be grouped in inflorescences that will produce seeds. But let’s see it in more detail:
How is it grown?
The shallot is a very interesting plant: with a little care, we can obtain a very good harvest. Follow our tips to enjoy growing it:
- Location: they must be in an area where sunlight hits them directly.
- Planting time: the bulbs are planted at the end of winter, in rows, leaving a distance of 15cm between them. The land has to be neutral, rich in organic matter.
- Irrigation: frequent, avoiding letting the soil dry out. The ideal would be to water every 2, maximum 3 days, increasing the frequency a little during the summer.
- Harvest: in autumn. Before collecting them, we must bend the stems so that the bulbs grow fat.
- Multiplication: by seeds in spring, or by planting the bulbs towards the end of winter.
- Rusticity: withstands cold and frost well down to -7ºC.
Culinary uses of shallots
The bulbs of shallots they are eaten cooked or chopped and fried. They are used as a condiment for strong meats and rock fish, as well as salads.
Do you dare to try it?
