Pickled onions (British food mentioned by James Herriot)

Cafe Society
1

In one of his books (I can’t recall which one,) James Herriot writes about eating roast beef sandwiches and pickled onions at someone else’s house, and he states that the size of the onions were remarkably large; “larger than golf balls.”

I’m confused. Aren’t almost *all *onions larger than golf balls? Is there a British species/variety that is smaller than golf balls?

2

I assume he was used to having pickled pearl onions

3

Amazon has them and will ship world-wide.

4

Or you can buy them in most supermarkets.

5

They are used in some cocktails too. Gibson?

6

No, pickling onions are a specific variety, much larger than pearl onions but much smaller than regular onions; they’re typically about 2-3 cms in diameter, so one the size of a golf ball would be at the upper range. Some pickled onions.

7

They’re also dead easy to make, although personally I would omit the chilis - nothing against chilis, they just aren’t needed in pickled onions - and add cloves. I’d also halve the sugar in that recipe.

8

The ones you use in cocktails are small, though. Marble sized usually.

9

Now that would depend on the size of the glass, wouldn’t it? :smiley:

10

Pickled pearl onions are sold in most supermarkets over here.

11

If you’re referring to the episode I think you are, James was ALSO getting pickled…

12

Do pickled onions taste like “regular”* pickles?

*Like Vlasic.

13

Can’t help you with the onion thing, but I believe it is in All Creatures Great and Small. The other person is Granville Bennett, a large, affable vet who does small animal work. Lives with his wife, Zoe, and his dog, Phoebe, whom he calls, “Phoebles”. Granville insists in plying poor James with liquor, so that every time he meets Zoe, the poor lad is completely tanked.

14

Yes - Herriot wrote that Bennett even had a drink bar/pub built in his own house’s yard, or something like that.

15

They taste like onions that are pickled. No dill flavor (at least not the ones I had), but the usual vinegar flavor. You know, like pickled eggs, pickled beets, pickled gizzards (okay, you may not know that one, but it is a thing), pickled jalapenos or pickled peppers of any sort, etc…

16

Ok, thanks. I’ve only ever had the cucumber (mostly dill) kind.

17

Well, given your username, just go to a bar and order a gibson, and you’ll get a pickled onion.

18

What and befoul myself with the Satan juice? This body is a temple. It’s Jesus juice, tequila, Mountain Dew or nothing.

19

Or Mason jar!