Italian Locals Say This Variety Of Onion Is Sweet Enough To Be Eaten Like An Apple

Few onions have the reputation of the Tropea onion. This famous variety, which grows along Italy's Calabrian coast, is often called the "torpedo onion" because of its distinctive oblong shape. These onions are so mild and sweet, they can be eaten raw like apples. The reason for their gentle flavor is lower levels of pyruvic acid, the compound that gives most types of onions that eye-watering sting. When you take that sharpness out of the way, there's more room for sweetness to come through. The region's sandy soil and Mediterranean climate also help give the bulbs their signature juiciness. 

The sweet, tender Tropea onions best suited for eating raw are typically harvested while they're still young. Outside the harvest season, they're also sold in preserved forms, including jarred and dehydrated. If you're ever lucky enough to visit Calabria yourself, you may see them hanging outside stores in long braids. 

While the playful expression of eating them "like apples" is a real sentiment in Calabria, it reflects more than just the mildness of these onions. It shows how proud Calabrians are of their fresh food, even onions, which are not often celebrated in their raw form. In fact, these onions have even earned Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, which means that genuine Tropea onions can only come from specific areas that meet strict production standards.

If you can ever find authentic Tropea onions, they're a great way to bring a taste of Italy to your home. Since these onions are so sweet, you're more likely to find them front and center in dishes instead of hiding away under heavy sauces. They're often thinly sliced and eaten raw with some local olive oil as an appetizer, scattered over pizza, or used anywhere a raw sweet onion might shine (think burgers, sandwiches, and salads).

They're often cooked, too. In Calabria, they're often baked whole, which brings out their natural sweetness; cooked into Calabrian-style soups; or prepared agrodolce, a traditional Calabrian sweet-and-sour dish made with onions simmered in vinegar and sugar. If you're ever in the region, you can also find them in more basic frittatas, pasta dishes, and onion jam. For anyone looking for a similar onion closer to home, Walla Walla onions are a sweet variety grown in the U.S. — although we can't promise you'd have as pleasurable results if you take a bite out of them like an apple.