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Shallots
Every knowledge on vegetables, health and nutrition.
Scientific Name
Allium cepa ascalonicum or Allium cepa aggravation (Alliaceae family)Common name
Jersey shallot, grey shallot, brown shallot.
Varieties and seasons
The varieties grown in France belong to two main groups: grey shallots, the most popular because more aromatic, and pink shallots.
The most prized shallots are ”Roscoff” grey shallots ; Jersey shallots (pink), and very large “Cuisse de poulet” shallots.
Vegetable garden: growing shallot
A hardy plant, due to its bulb, but grown as an annual. It is grown in clusters 20 to 30 cm high with hollow cylindrical leaves. The fairly elongated bulb is divided into seven or eight bulbets.
The flowers on shallot plants, like all Allium species, take the form of a spherical umbel. Its seeds are small and black.
The bulbets are planted in autumn, from October to December, or at the end of winter (February to March) according to the variety.
The harvest takes place, depending on the plant, between five and nine months after planting, around the month of July. Dried bulbets can be preserved in a chilled storeroom for several months.
Production
Most of the European production of shallots comes from three countries: France, Netherlands, Belgium.
Consumption
In France, there has been a regular 2 to 3% increase in shallot consumption per year, which stands at 0.4 to 0.5 kg per person per year.
Nutritional values (per 100 g)
Raw* | Dried* | RDI** | |
|---|---|---|---|
Energy | 72 kcal | 348 kcal | |
Proteins | 2.5 g | 12.3 g | |
Carbohydrates | 16.8 g | 80.7 g | |
Fat | 0.1 g | 0.5 g | |
Sodium | 12 mg | 59 mg | |
Magnesium | 21 mg | 104 mg | 375 mg |
Potassium | 334 mg | 1,650 mg | 2,000 mg |
Provitamin A | 60 µg | 2,805 µg | 4,800 µg |
* USDA 2005 **Recommended Daily Intake |
Nutritionist’s advice
Like all vegetable/condiments in the Allium genus, shallots are characterised by the presence of specific sulphury substances, which are responsible for its distinctive smell, its popular taste, and various physiological properties and their related health benefits. These substances - alliine isomers - come from a sulphur amino acid, cysteine. They are practically odourless if the shallot is intact. However, when the bulb is cut or crushed, the destructured plant cells release an enzyme, allinase. This transforms the sulphur substances in the shallot into various pungent components.
What is about portions...?
-a child portion : two little shallots
-an adult portion : two medium shallots
Cooking and nutrition: tasty combinations
-Shallot butter: a classic accompaniment to meat and grilled fish dishes.
-Sirloin steak with shallots: fry chopped shallots, then cook with the meat. Then deglaze with a little shallot vinegar or red wine.
