CHIVES
Allium schoenoprasum
With its mild onion flavour, chives is perfect as a green topping for both egg dishes and bread or in cold dressings and potato salad. In addition, chives is mildly antibiotic and stimulates digestion.
Recipes with chives
Chives may also be used to flavour fish dishes and stuffings, and as garnish on tomatoes, eggs, herrings and Danish open sandwiches. Chives should be added just before serving.
Origins
Chives originates from Central Asia.
Usage in the old days
In the old days, wild onions were gathered and used to flavour meat dishes. Chive stalks were mixed with curly kale and other herbs.
Chives were used in medicine; ground chives were supposed to cure toothaches and were said to be good for the stomach, bladder and kidneys.
In the beginning of the 20th century, farmers fed their domestic animals chives and put it in the fodder for horses.
Medical use
Chives has a mild antibiotic effect and helps the digestion.
It is rich in vitamins A, B and C, iron and calcium.