Supermarket chain Rewe is making onion slicing a more pleasant affair. There’s a new strain on offer that doesn’t cause tears.
An open window, a sip of water in your mouth, a damp cutting board – there are many tricks to prevent your eyes from watering when chopping onions. They are all said to be obsolete soon, because supermarket giant Rewe is selling a new type of onion. Anyone who prepares these should supposedly not have to shed any more tears.
Onion “Sunions” does not cause tears when cut
The effect was bred away in the American variety called “Sunions”, Rewe announced in a press release. The special tuber has been available in the 350 gram network in more than 3,000 branches nationwide since the beginning of February, just not in North Rhine-Westphalia.
For the introductory phase, the seed producer and onion producer chose Rewe as their sole sales partner in Germany. The onions are advertised with the slogan “Onion, but not in the eye”. They should taste mild and rather sweet. Its sweetness is said to increase over time.
According to the American manufacturer, the Sunions are not genetically modified vegetables. Rather, they were created by crossing. More than 30 years of development have gone into the “tear-free” bulbs.
New product at Rewe: The “Sunions” variety promises that no more tears will come when cutting. (Source: REWE)
In conventional onions, the enzyme alliinase in the cell sap reacts with the sulphur-containing amino acid isoalliin in the cell wall as soon as it is damaged, e.g. when cutting. Together with the oxygen in the air, a gas is then produced that irritates the surface of the eye – and causes tears. The whole thing is actually a protection once morest predators such as rodents.
Onions are popular with Germans
The onion is one of the oldest cultivated plants of mankind. It is said to have health-promoting properties and has a comparatively high water and low fat content. According to the Statista data portal, every German citizen eats 9.2 kilograms of onions a year.
