Paganini Foods 'gives birth' to Tropea onions
Paganini Foods 'gives birth' to Tropea onions
Sweet onions have long laid claim to being devoid of the acid enzyme that causes burning eyes and profuse tearing. While chefs and home cooks will tolerate the temporary discomfort if it means having onions in their recipes, many have switched to the sweet varieties to avoid the annoyance.
The Tropea onion, also touted as the "Sweet Red Onion of Tropea," lays a particularly strong claim to being the sweetest of all onions. Chefs and home cooks in the United States now have the ability to test the theory for themselves.
Paganini Foods, the Harrison, NY-based importer of predominantly Italian fresh produce sold under the "BellaVita label, recently announced the arrival of the first 2005 seasonal shipments of Tropea onions into the United States. Celso Paganini, president of the company, explained that the Tropea area of Italy is located between Capo Vaticano and Vibo Valentia in the Calabria region, facing the Tyrrhenian Sea.
"The growth stimulation that promotes the bulbing process of individual onion varieties is derived from varying day lengths, said Mr. Paganini. "The longitude of a region is imperative to onion quality because it dictates the ratio between the length of days and nights. The sweetness of the Tropea onion cannot be duplicated in any other area of the world, even if the same seeds were used, because the climate, sandy soil composition, and elements from the sea all contribute to nurturing the crops. The result is the unique sweetness of this onion.
Growers achieve maximum plant size before optimum day length evolves in order to initiate bulbing. The primary expanse of the plant's leaf captures the sun's energy, resulting in large and sweet Tropea onions.
Tropea onion growers are strongly protective of their crops. Only experienced local farmers perform planting and tending. Bulbs are planted in loose, fresh, deep, manure-treated soil. Summer onions are planted in seedbeds in late August or early September, and crops are transplanted between November and January.
Onions are harvested in May and June but only when the plant's leaves are moisture-free. Onion bulbs and the external leaves are left to dry in the fields, and then stored in cool, dry and well-ventilated storage rooms for approximately 40 days. Skilled women, whose training has been passed down through many generations, select and entwine the strings of red onions. They separate small from medium, and medium from large sizes, exercising care and concern over every woven braid.
"It takes as long to produce a Tropea onion as it does to have a baby -- nine months, said Mr. Paganini. "Tropea onions grow in conical, oval and 'top' shapes. The external skin is deep pink, and the inside flesh is a red wine-like color.
The Tropea onion season is relatively brief, from early May through late July. The onions store well for as long as four weeks in a well ventilated place, however, offering retailers and consumers desirable shelf life.
When Mr. Paganini's company takes on a new product, he extensively researches the history, authenticity details and growing properties. He explained that wild onions were consumed in various regions on Earth for thousands of years before cultivation began about 3000 B.C., when domesticated crops appeared simultaneously around the world.
"Onions are thought to be one of the earliest cultivated crops because they were less perishable than other foods available to ancient societies, said Mr. Paganini. "They are transportable, easy to grow and can be produced in a variety of soil types and climates. The onion was an important food for sustaining human life. It prevented thirst and could be dried and preserved for later consumption when food might be scarce.
Mr. Paganini added that the Greeks learned of the onion's properties and uses from the Assyrians and Babylonians. In turn, the Grecian people introduced onions and their uses to the region of Calabria in southern Italy, where they have grown since that ancient time.
Gourmet grocers and chainstores, as well as white-tablecloth restaurants in the Northeast and Canada, will have "Bella Vita Tropea onions this season.
Retail prices are similar to other sweet onion varieties. Mr. Paganini said that the transportation cost to ship the onions from Italy to the United States is actually lower than the cost to transport a comparable product to the East Coast of the United States from California.
The Tropea onion, also touted as the "Sweet Red Onion of Tropea," lays a particularly strong claim to being the sweetest of all onions. Chefs and home cooks in the United States now have the ability to test the theory for themselves.
Paganini Foods, the Harrison, NY-based importer of predominantly Italian fresh produce sold under the "BellaVita label, recently announced the arrival of the first 2005 seasonal shipments of Tropea onions into the United States. Celso Paganini, president of the company, explained that the Tropea area of Italy is located between Capo Vaticano and Vibo Valentia in the Calabria region, facing the Tyrrhenian Sea.
"The growth stimulation that promotes the bulbing process of individual onion varieties is derived from varying day lengths, said Mr. Paganini. "The longitude of a region is imperative to onion quality because it dictates the ratio between the length of days and nights. The sweetness of the Tropea onion cannot be duplicated in any other area of the world, even if the same seeds were used, because the climate, sandy soil composition, and elements from the sea all contribute to nurturing the crops. The result is the unique sweetness of this onion.
Growers achieve maximum plant size before optimum day length evolves in order to initiate bulbing. The primary expanse of the plant's leaf captures the sun's energy, resulting in large and sweet Tropea onions.
Tropea onion growers are strongly protective of their crops. Only experienced local farmers perform planting and tending. Bulbs are planted in loose, fresh, deep, manure-treated soil. Summer onions are planted in seedbeds in late August or early September, and crops are transplanted between November and January.
Onions are harvested in May and June but only when the plant's leaves are moisture-free. Onion bulbs and the external leaves are left to dry in the fields, and then stored in cool, dry and well-ventilated storage rooms for approximately 40 days. Skilled women, whose training has been passed down through many generations, select and entwine the strings of red onions. They separate small from medium, and medium from large sizes, exercising care and concern over every woven braid.
"It takes as long to produce a Tropea onion as it does to have a baby -- nine months, said Mr. Paganini. "Tropea onions grow in conical, oval and 'top' shapes. The external skin is deep pink, and the inside flesh is a red wine-like color.
The Tropea onion season is relatively brief, from early May through late July. The onions store well for as long as four weeks in a well ventilated place, however, offering retailers and consumers desirable shelf life.
When Mr. Paganini's company takes on a new product, he extensively researches the history, authenticity details and growing properties. He explained that wild onions were consumed in various regions on Earth for thousands of years before cultivation began about 3000 B.C., when domesticated crops appeared simultaneously around the world.
"Onions are thought to be one of the earliest cultivated crops because they were less perishable than other foods available to ancient societies, said Mr. Paganini. "They are transportable, easy to grow and can be produced in a variety of soil types and climates. The onion was an important food for sustaining human life. It prevented thirst and could be dried and preserved for later consumption when food might be scarce.
Mr. Paganini added that the Greeks learned of the onion's properties and uses from the Assyrians and Babylonians. In turn, the Grecian people introduced onions and their uses to the region of Calabria in southern Italy, where they have grown since that ancient time.
Gourmet grocers and chainstores, as well as white-tablecloth restaurants in the Northeast and Canada, will have "Bella Vita Tropea onions this season.
Retail prices are similar to other sweet onion varieties. Mr. Paganini said that the transportation cost to ship the onions from Italy to the United States is actually lower than the cost to transport a comparable product to the East Coast of the United States from California.
