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Food & Recipes

Ditch the Goggles Because Tearless Onions Finally Exist

Onions are one of the most popular foods, but the tears they cause are one of the least popular feelings for many cooks. Who wants to deal with wiping your eyes right in the middle of food prep? Not us, that’s for sure. If you feel the same way, we think you’ll be just as excited as we are to hear that — wait for it — actual tearless onions now exist.

Called a “Sunion,” this new onion is sweet and crunchy and — most importantly — won’t make you cry like regular onions do. It took decades for scientists to create these genius pieces of produce, but it looks like their hard work has finally paid off. (And in case you’re wondering, no, these veggies are not genetically modified.)

The Sunion was instead created through natural cross-breeding in a program that farmers started up in the 1980s. For all intents and purposes, they look pretty similar to regular ol’ onions, but the big difference is all inside.

A regular onion releases a compound called lachrymatory-factor synthase when it’s cut. This compound is what irritates the eyes — and causes your eyes to tear up to decrease the irritation. While normal onions’ compounds increase over time, the Sunions’ compounds actually decrease, leading to a sweeter taste and no tears.

Currently, Sunions are only being grown in Nevada and Washington, and will be on sale from the end of December to March or April. The good news? Though it’s not yet clear what specific stores they’ll be available at, you can expect to see them being sold nationwide.

“Sunions growers are currently working diligently with stores and supermarkets across the country to find the best locations to offer this groundbreaking product,” a spokesperson for the growers said.

We don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to see these babies hit stores near us. Better keep your eyes peeled for them — pun totally intended!

h/t Delish

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