Plant Description Onion is an annual plant which is cultivated for its bulbous root, which is pungent and/or sweet in varying degrees. It is hardly grown as a biennial crop. A sandy, fertile loam is the best soil for growing onions. As a cold weather crop, onion plant needs cool climate to grow their green tops and warm weather to ripen the bulbs. The plant require good drainage and plenty of sunlight. The plant can grow upto two feet in height. It has upright, cylindrical, green leaves attached to the swollen leaf bases that form the bulb below ground. Culinary Uses For centuries, this root vegetable has been widely used a basic flavouring in the kitchen. It is one of those vegetables which are used as a vegetable, or as a spice to bring out the flavour of other dishes without overpowering them. The paste of onion in combination with garlic and ginger, is the basic element of every meat dish prepared in Indian subcontinent. This root vegetable is also used in soups, pickles and cooked vegetable dishes, sauces, hearty casseroles, and bean and lentil dishes. It is a common ingredient in marinades, and an onion studded with cloves is often a main flavouring in stocks and courts-bouillons.