Onions travel to Europe and America

Over time onions migrated to Europe by way of Greece, where the were fed to Olympic athletes to help energize their blood.

In Europe, partly because of the stinky breath they cause when eaten raw, onions were at first looked down on and shunned by society's upper classes. They were eaten mostly by the poor, who (by the way) liked them a lot and sometimes gave them as gifts!

Columbus brought onions to the Americans on his first trip to the New World in 1492.

Once the pilgrims were established at Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, onions were one of the first things they had shipped over in later voyages, with the first arriving in 1629.

The Native Americans already had several kinds of onion of their own here, which they had grown for hundreds of years. But once they had a chance to try the big bulbous onions from Europe, the Native Americans also adopted them, traded them with other tribes, and spread them quickly throughout the rest of North America.

More than just a vegetable ?

Beliefs that onions possess otherworldly, supernatural powers have sprung up in many other countries besides Egypt.

When the plague swept through Europe in the Middle Ages, many people thought it was caused by evil spirits. They hung onions and garlic around their necks in the hopes that the plants' mystical powers might keep the demons at bay. In Eastern Europe people also nailed strands of onions and garlic to their doors in hope of keeping vampires away.

Onions were also believed by Europeans to have positive healing properties. In the United States during colonial times, they were prescribed as a cure for measles. Some people still ascribe special healing powers to onions. And they may sometimes be right.