h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Are there religions or cultures that forbid onions? Which ones? Onions seem a bit innocuous to be offensive to a deity!

Hi, Alan:

I believe that in some parts of India, onions
are not used. Asafoetida (sp?) is consumed in their
place. Hopefully someone who knows more than I do
will mention why this is so.

Not particularly reliable sources tell me that the problem with Onions is that they 'inflame the passions', and that this idea comes from the Jain religion. Peppers do too apparently. I remain sceptical but I've doubled my onion consumption just to be on the safe side.

I am totaly mystified as to how you could consider asafoeteda to be a substitue for onions.

'Inflame the passions', eh? I just get heartburn.

After some research, I have a more plausible explanation.

Jains don't eat root vegetables, and it had somehow escaped my attention that an Onion is a root vegetable.

They don't eat root vegetables as in order to eat a root vegetable you need to tear up the entire plant, which is cruel. Other types of vegetables can just be picked without killing the plant, which is less cruel.

I should note that not all Jains actualy follow all the rules.

More details at:
[URL removed by moderator]

Jains also don't like to use root vegetables in case any insects or other creatures are killed in their harvesting - some drink through straws, I'm told, to prevent drinking any poor insect that's fallen in their drink. As for the peppers, I'd heard somewhere that very strict Jains don't like to eat them as the red colour reminds them of blood. Ditto for tomatoes, obviously.

Hi, Jabberwock.

This is a question I hadn't expected to encounter, so
it may take a little time. Arpeggio is gone for a week,
and I don't know if Nathan knows the article was finished.
Either or both of them could come up with a better
answer than I could.

"I am totaly mystified as to how you could consider asafoeteda
to be a substitue for onions."

I've never used asafetida (spellings vary ), but the standard
type of reference sources usually mention that it (a.)
has a bitter taste (yum-yum! ), and/or (b.) tastes
somewhat like onions. In either case, there's no accounting
for taste. You can, for instance, get dried fruit soaked in
soy sauce at roadside stands in Taiwan. If you've grown up
with that type of food, you may well think it's tasty.

There is a food-substitution website called "Dotti's place,"
where the standard substitute for asafetida consists of
equal parts onion powder, celery seed, curry, and cumin.
The substitute for onion consists of onion powder.
Dotti can't conceive of a situation where anyone
would have no onions in any form.

So I can only hope the reinforcements are on their way

Asafetida is an excellent spice that should be used more (and spelt in more different ways), but not as a substitute for onions. It's main effect is as a flavour enhancer (somewhat like MSG). It's advantage over MSG is that it tastes of rotten garlic, which is revolting. As such, you're not tempted to use too much (like many chinese restaurants do with MSG) as if you can taste it you have ruined the dish (the same is true of MSG but the ruining is less catastrophic). The correct ammount is a small pinch per large curry for several people.

Ive talked it over with a Krishna friend of mine. Their religion forbids them to consume onions and garlic for the same reasons as listed above (because they inflame passions and Lord Krishna does not allow those vegetables (along with mushrooms) to be offered to him.