"Dutch growing shallots a year ahead of the French"

Radio 2 placed the Shallot argument at the bottom of the top ten curious cases in the last week. French shallot growers are accusing Dutch growers of misleading consumers by selling small onions as shallots. The origin of the conflict started 20 years ago when the first shallot from seed came onto the market in the Netherlands. This would form a healthier bases for the cultivation than the plants that were previously worked with, as growers could realise a higher yield. The French growers organisation SNE labeled these shallots from seeds as onions. In 2006 the European Court of Justice ruled that the seeded shallots can be counted as shallots. There was a protocol to be able to distinguish between onions and shallots. This protocol will once again be reviewed in the coming years. This is why the French SNE is now looking for the publicity to make their dissatisfaction known.

Breeding
The Dutch breeding company De Groot en Slot was the first company in the Netherlands with seed shallots 20 years ago. The company was also involved in the European Court case. According to Jeroen de Haas of De Groot en Slot the Dutch share in the European shallot cultivation isn't that big. In the Netherlands around 300 hectares is grown, which leads to a production of around 10,000 tonnes. Of this 90% is exported, but the export isn't just focused on France. The French consumption of shallots is at around 40,000 tonnes. The country also exports a lot of shallots. De Groot en Slot don't want to get involved in the discussion with the French. The European Commission will have to give a decisive answer through a reassessment of the protocol. When this will happen is still unclear.

Length of day
Presenter Bert Kranenburg has little understanding for the French growers and sees no difference between the different onion varieties. He catches up with onion connoisseur Siem Beers.

"An onion is an onion, but the varieties mainly define themselves by the type of day length. Around the equator the so called short day onions are grown. They are very sweet. This flavour is caused by the level of dry dust. The less dry dust, the sweeter the onion."

Beers also disproves a myth on the spring onion. "They can grow in the forest, but are usually grown in an open field. After the harvest they are sold in bunches of three."

One year vs two year
What makes the Dutch shallot a Dutch shallot? "This is mainly in the unique breeding," says Siem. "The French grow the shallot in two years. Dutch breeders have reduced this to a year. The shallot is the same, but different enough to be able to be called a Dutch shallot."

Finally, Bert helps create a title Beers is working on. "The pictures are ready, the text just has to go in." When the 'Encyclopedonion' will be in store, remains to be seen.

Source: AD/Radio 2