What makes garlic and onion bulbs special that makes them so good to cook with? Is there a reason other than taste that stops me from trying to cook with all the different species of bulbs?

Question

What makes garlic and onion bulbs special that makes them so good to cook with? Is there a reason other than taste that stops me from trying to cook with all the different species of bulbs?

In: Biology

Answer 1

The fact that they’re both bulbs doesn’t mean that anything bulb-shaped is either tasty or safe.

Onions and garlic are both in the same family, “allium”. Several other alliums are also edible and share broadly similar flavor profiles: scallions, shallots, and chives, for example. To be clear though, there are poisonous alliums too – the entire family isn’t generically safe.