Allium

The genus of onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives and their wild relatives — defining a flavour family built on sulphur chemistry. Crushing their tissues unleashes enzymatically generated thiosulfinates and related compounds: the bite of raw garlic, the sting of onion, the gentle sweetness of cooked leeks all trace to this chemistry. Their health reputation rests on organosulphur compounds studied for cardiovascular, antimicrobial and anticancer effects. Few plant genera shape global cooking so profoundly with such simple starting materials — a handful of sulphur precursors, transformed by enzymes into an entire cuisine.