In defence of the humble onion weed
Allium triquetrum a culinary treasure
My mum turned up her nose when I brought her what I thought was a bunch of beautiful white flowers smelling strongly of onions one day 60 years ago.
Like many of her peers, Ellice Keys never knew what a culinary treasure Allium triquetrum (pronounced trykwet-rim) actually is. If she had realised, our diet would have been enriched. Mum would have thoroughly enjoyed the savings from the free oniony pickings.
Many species in the Allium genus are a staple of our diet: leeks, spring onions, shallots, garlic and chives are easily grown in our home gardens. Red, brown and white onions are the foundation of many types of cuisine worldwide.
But because it is invasive, A triquetrum has become maligned as a pest plant. It’s called stinking onion or onion weed by most people I know.
Three-cornered garlic describes the species’ triangular stems.
Allium triquetrum grows in the unsprayed wastelands of Castlecliff, beside te awa o Whanganui, alongside Mosston Rd and the shared pathway through James McGregor Park.
It flourishes in acid, alkaline and neutral soils, in dappled shade and out in the open. Many home gardeners spend money on herbicide, or dig the bulbs out of the soil, then send them to landfill. What a waste and a travesty. Every part of A triquetrum is edible.
I would grow three-cornered garlic in my own garden, but because it’s considered a pest, it’s forbidden.
So at least once a week I forage when I’m out on my bike. The stalks can be added to soups, stews, fritters and scrambled eggs. The pretty white flowers and chopped stalks are in my delicious weed salads, along with calendula, borage and dandelion flowers, miner’s lettuce, chickweed, self-heal, yarrow and rocket.
Just as I would like more people to embrace learning about and consuming edible weeds for their health and their pocket, I want to change people’s minds about A triquetrum.
Every change in our thinking and behaviour starts with motivation.
If your motivation is saving money, three-cornered leek is a practical option. An onion currently costs about 70 cents in the
supermarket. Substituting a large bunch of A triquetrum for one onion three times a week is a saving of about $102 a year.
Start by picking one juicy stalk per serving and adding it to a green salad. You can save yourself the pain of peeling onions.
If your motivation about food is taste, you will be pleasantly surprised, and so will anyone to whom you serve dishes containing this valuable wild plant. Just don’t tell them until they compliment you on your cuisine. Sulphur gives A triquetrum a milder flavour than brown onion.
And if nutrition matters to you, the benefits of eating onions are wellknown: they contain vitamin C and B6, potassium, manganese and copper. Alliums are known to reduce cholesterol and are good for high blood pressure.
Some people have an aversion to eating edible weeds. “We don’t have to eat weeds,” they say. If only they would open their minds.
I prefer fresh food that has not been sprayed.
All alliums attract pollinators and are a favourite with bumblebees, honeybees and butterflies. We all know how important it is to provide food for these insects. Just don’t let your dog or cat eat onion weed, not that they will want to, usually. They have been known to be poisoned by large amounts of it.
Allium triquetrum is native to the Mediterranean basin: south-western Europe, north-western Africa.