Vidalia sweet onion
Allium cepa
Distinctly sweet, very mild, almost without pungency; closer to fruit than to standard onion.
About Vidalia
The Vidalia sweet onion is the regional Georgia cultivar grown in a specific 20-county area around Vidalia, Georgia, in the low-sulfur soils of that region. Federal trade protection (since 1989) restricts the Vidalia name to onions grown in that designated region — similar to Champagne in France or Parmigiano-Reggiano in Italy. The low-sulfur soil produces onions with dramatically reduced pungency and noticeable sweetness — eating raw Vidalia is similar to eating a sweet apple. Walla Walla (Washington State) is the West Coast equivalent, with similar low-sulfur soil and similar sweetness profile. Both are spring-summer onions — they don't store well beyond their harvest window.
Variety profile
Common uses
- Raw onion rings on burgers
- Whole roasted with butter
- Sweet onion dip
- Blooming onion (battered)
- Cucumber-and-Vidalia salad
Editorial notes
Outside Vidalia season (September through March), labeled 'sweet onion' product is typically Peruvian or Mexican sweet onion — comparable but not identical.