What are tears and where do they come from? We rarely think about such superficial and at the same time deep questions. From school, we know that tears are a defensive reaction of an organism to an aggressive environment. Tears may appear due to dust, strong winds, any eye infection. They can be a reaction to anger, a manifestation of resentment, despair, and even happiness. But sometimes tears can be such an obvious thing that we simply do not take them seriously. However, at least once in a lifetime, everyone came up with a question about why we are crying from onions.
An excursion into the history of the origin of onions
Onions began to be cultivated about 4 thousand years ago in Asia. Then the popularity of onions as a garden culture spread to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and India. Then people appreciated the onion not only for its healing properties, but also believed in its magical features.
The ancient Romans believed that the onion contained in food nourishes the body with energy, and the soul with strength and courage. In ancient Egypt, onions served to scare away evil spirits, while in India it was believed that, along with the tears that appear when working with the onions, negative energy comes out of a person. They had their own explanation for why they cry from onions.
The benefits of onions
No wonder the Egyptians idolized the bow for the fact that it had the power to scare away spirits. In a sense, it really protects us from evil - from harmful viruses and bacteria. Onion contains a huge amount of nutrients that helps the body fight pathogenic microbes, as well as strengthen immunity: vitamins B, C, PP, E, H, minerals and fiber.
In addition to its excellent composition, onions also have a high content of essential oils - these are volatile and allocin, which, in turn, have unique antioxidant properties. They protect not only the person who cuts the onions from the harmful environment, but also other people in this room.
The cause of onion tears: why do they cry from onions
In addition to the beneficial properties of onions, it is also known for one strange property due to which this article exists. Why cry from onions? When we cut, crush, rub, chop onion, whole cells of the vegetable are destroyed, the sulfonic acid molecules combine with proteins and cause a chemical reaction, turning into a tear ether, whose name is the lacrimator. It is very concentrated with sulfuric acid and light, so it quickly penetrates the delicate membrane of our eyes, irritating the mucous membrane and dissolving in our tears. That is why people cry with onions. The lacrimator serves as a kind of protective mechanism for onions from those who want to eat or damage it, for example, from insects.
Fighting Onion Tears
When wondering why they cry from onions, people are trying to find a way to resist the lacrimator.
Today there are many developments in the methods of dealing with the tears caused by onion ethers. The Chinese have developed a separate type of onion that does not cause tears. However, this species is significantly inferior to its father in taste and aromatic qualities.
Scientists have proved that low temperatures can slow down the reaction that occurs in the onion, which consequently leads to a decrease in tear ether. Therefore, one of the options to get rid of tears is to put onions in the freezer for several minutes.
Another way is to wet the knife in water. In water, the gases released by onions lose their strength, becoming less concentrated. This method is very popular today and, according to numerous observations, is effective. Based on this hypothesis, it can be assumed that a running tap or a handkerchief moistened with water, opened nearby, will also help correct the situation. Some also note an effective option with water in the mouth.
In addition, you can chew mint gum, parsley or light a wax candle, the esters of which, when combined with a lacrimator, weaken the effect of the latter. It is also recommended to use goggles for swimming or snowboarding.
In the end, the best option is to buy a chopper or food processor.