Do Welsh onions come from Wales

A.� Welsh onions belong to the Green Onion family which are pulled while the tops are still green, before the onion has chance to swell. Welsh onions have nothing to do with Wales, and are also called scallions. A. fistulosum are larger and more pungent thqn spring onions and are the variety most often used in oriental and Asian cooking, often with garlic or ginger to complement their flavours.

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Q. Are they the same as Spring onions

A.� Spring onions or salad onions are different, and are the perfect partner to salad if you can't find Welsh onions. The most common variety in the UK is called the White Lisbon. Larger versions, which are called either salad or spring onions, are in reality just spring onions left to grow a little bit longer

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Q.� Why are onion skins so papery

A.� Most of the onions we buy are bulb or globe onions harvested when mature and left to dry out, which is why the skins are papery.

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Q.� Which types of onion are most common

A.� The brown onion, the cook's friend, has a strong flavour and is mostly used for frying in casseroles,�stews, soup or roasting with potatoes.

The Spanish onion, also called a yellow onion, is the biggest of the bunch with lots of moisture and a sweeter, often milder, flavour. It's good eaten raw or can be hollowed-out and baked.

The Red Onion is sweet and superb raw in bean salads or barbecued.

The shallot is a different onion variety - Allium ascalonicum - which grows in clusters rather than a single bulb. The best is the echalote grise (sold as demi-longue and banana shallots) a more elongated shallot which has a fuller, sweeter flavour and is virtually white.

The most common type is round and had a full mauve flesh. It's much loved by the French, and frequently used in sauces.

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Q.� How can you store onions

A.� Brown onions are the best as they are hard and dry. The sweeter the onion, the more moisture they contain and the shorter their lives - the length of which also depends on where you keep them. Store in an open container and let the air circulate for about a month. Onions in fine fettle should have skins that crackle and feel firm underneath - don't use if green sprouts appear.

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Q.� What's the best way to avoid tears

A.� There are dozens of bizarre theories on chopping onions. The scientific way is to chill the onion for about an hour, freeze it for 10 minutes, then start chopping. This reduces the volatility of the substance - called allicin - that irritates the eye.

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By Katharine MacColl