Description
The Makói vöröshagyma PDO (Allium cepa L.) belongs to the family Alliaceae, which has adapted well to the local conditions of the Makó region.
Production Area
Makói vöröshagyma PDO is produced in some municipalities of the counties Csongrád and Békés in the Southern Great Plain region.
Production Method
In the case of the two-year production method, from tiny flower seeds, the small onions, the so-called onion sets, which are produced by being densely sowed, serve as the base material for producing developed table onions the following year. In the case of the onion set production the soil is prepared through ploughing in the autumn of the previous year. Sowing takes place at the end of February, beginning of March in single or twin lines at a depth of 3-3,5 cm. The dried stem is removed from the onion sets, which have matured by the middle of August. This is followed by picking, removing soil, post-maturing, transporting and classifying by size. In November the special Makó production procedure starts-the heat treatment that prevents the formation of flower buds and thus the development of the seedstallk in the second year, which would make the onion body valueless. During the heat treatment, the onion sets are gradually heated up over 12 days from the 3-5 °C storage temperature to 30-32 °C and, depending on size, are kept at this temperature for 30-60 days (during which time they are heated up to 32-35 °C for 10 days) and then gradually cooled to 10-14 °C for planting. The table onion production takes place in the second year. In the spring, the onion sets, which have been removed from the heat treatment installation, are cleaned, the seeds are treated against pests, then they are sown in the gradually warming soil up to the middle of April. The soil requirements and the crop rotation are the same as with onion sets. Harvesting takes place in the second half of August after which the onions are put into storage or sent to market. In the case of the one-year production method, the production begins in March with the sowing of seeds of "one-year old onions". In the propagation period, the production and harvesting are the same as with onions grown from onion sets, but the propagation season is longer and the harvest takes place in mid-September.
Appearance and Flavour
The onion has a spherical body, slightly elongated along the longitudinal axis; it has a diameter of 35-80 mm. Bronze red, shiny, with closed skin, the firm multi-layered external tunics completely protecting the internal tunics. It has firm, dense flesh and bone-white colour. The onion has high dry-matter content of over 16 %, which is well above the average.
History
Onions have been produced in the Makó region for several centuries. In the middle of the 19th century, three quarters of the population consisted of peasant tenant farmers, who were compelled to produce intensive plant cultures in their small fields. For this purpose, the onion was chosen, whose skin and flesh have been extensively used in folk medicine for centuries. The excellence of this onion was recognised at the Grand Concours International des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Brussels in 1888 and was followed by further recognition over the years.
Gastronomy
The use of the Makói vöröshagyma PDO is very versatile. It is used in many dishes like stews, soups, cold dishes, salads and prickled fish.
Marketing
The product is sold as Makói vöröshagyma PDO. The Makói vöröshagyma PDO onions are classified, packaged and labelled in 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 15 kg raschel bags or in bulk in 15, 20, 25 and 50 kg crates or in packages of 3, 5 or 10 pieces.
Distinctive Features
The onion, which is of Central Asian origin, adapted to the conditions of the Makó region exceedingly well. The soils of the region were formed by the deposit of the river Maros changing its bed; the loess and alluvial soil have high nutrient content. They are rich in trace elements, medium dense, friable, flat-surfaced, and have good air and water retention, characteristics that have a favourable impact on the quality of the Makói vöröshagyma PDO onion.
