What Australians call shallots, generally refers to green onions, but can also refer to spring onions.
The terms “green onion” and “scallion” are common names used interchangeably to describe a long, thin, tubular allium with a distinctive, but mild, oniony flavor.
A: Scallions in Australia are known as spring or green onions. Their scientific name is True scallions or Allium fistulosum which is most commonly categorised as it does not form a bulb.
Because they're very similar to green onions, these names are used interchangeably in Australia. The trick? The more prominent the bulb and the more pungent it is, the more likely it is to be a spring rather than a green onion.
To put it simply in Australia, shallots are long green onions that can be bought in singular bunches, spring onions, on the other hand, are long green onions with a singular bulbous root.
The true shallot is actually a bulb with a more delicate garlic-like flavour than an onion, while the scallion, also known as spring or green onion, which is thin, with a white bulb and edible stalks, is in fact an unripe, sweet onion that is picked before the bulb matures.
Scallions and green onions are literally the same thing.
The only difference is how they're chosen to be labeled at the store. Spring onions, on the other hand, are a different thing. The bulb of a spring onion is much larger, compared to the small, not-so-bulbous scallion.
These small onions grow in clusters and have papery golden-brown skin and are sometimes called French shallots. Sweeter than brown, white or red onions, eschalots have a distinct well-balanced onion flavour.
The different varieties of shallots
Shallots come in all shapes and sizes, but here are some of the common varieties that you're likely to encounter in Australia. Golden shallots have a golden-brown skin like a regular onion. They're the most common variety found at Australian supermarkets and grocers.
Scallions (also known as green onions, and spring onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus Allium.
Gourmet chefs love to use them since they don't have the tangy bite that onions do. It is not just the taste that is different. Shallots grow differently from onions. Regular onions grow as a single bulb, but shallots grow in clusters, more like a head of garlic does.
Spring onions are actually regular onions that are harvested early before they grow to their full size. They have tender green stalks that are very similar in flavor to the bright green parts of scallions, and have wide, large bulbs. You can use them interchangeably in any recipe that calls for scallions.
Although they both have a mild onion flavor, chives and green onions (aka scallions) are not the same thing. Chives are smaller, thinner, and more delicate than green onions, and they don't have an edible bulb at the bottom. Compared to green onions, chives have a much milder onion flavor.
Scallions and green onions are the same thing. The terms “scallion” and “green onion” are used interchangeably to refer to members of the Allium cepa species with the following characteristics: Long, tender green leaves.
Splendid. Scallions are often incorrectly referred to as “green onions” in the U.S. but also hide out under other aliases such as “Welsh onion” and “Japanese bunching onion.” A true scallion has a long, skinny green stalk and a white tip that doesn't grow a bulb.
Allium fistulosum, the Welsh onion, also commonly called bunching onion, long green onion, Japanese bunching onion, and spring onion, is a species of perennial plant, often considered to be a kind of scallion.
At least two different species have been called shallots in Australia. The first is the true shallot, Allium cepa (Aggregatum group), and the second is the japanese bunching onion, Allium fistulosum.
The Betoota Advocate has grown to be Australia's most popular satirical news site, garnering a larger readership within Australia than popular U.S. satire site The Onion and Australian site The Shovel.
Chives are a completely different plant species than scallions and green onions. While green onions and scallions are considered vegetables, chives are grouped with herbs like parsley and basil. Compared to heartier green onions, chives are thinner and more fragile.
pearl onions. Another smaller, sweeter variety of onion, the pearl onion is often used for pickling or as garnishes for cocktails. It is fairly similar in flavour to a shallot, but without the hint of garlic.
Are green onions and leeks the same? Another member of the same family of plants is leeks, or allium ampeloprasum. While they actually look like giant scallions or green onions, with a narrow white bulb at the bottom and long green stems on top, leeks are also a different vegetable.
Green onions are actually baby, immature onions that are picked before they fully grow. The bulb is younger and is cut while the tops are still green. They have tiny white or pale-green bulbs at the end of long green tops.
Both shallots and green onions are more mild than a normal onion, however raw shallot tends to be slightly stronger, also featuring a vaguely sweet undertone not found in green onion. Green onions, on the other hand, tend to have a much fresher, almost peppery flavor that's more intense around the root than at the tip.