Very tasty onion dishes are served at restaurants everywhere in Awajishima. A baked whole onion dish is available at a restaurant, “Nojima Scuola”. Onions are one of the most popular ingredients in dishes as shown here. But it is nutritionally important as well as its taste. Two important nutrients in onions are identified; one is quercetin and the other is propiin.

Quercetin is a family member of flavonoids and has closely related chemical structure of polyphenol. It helps to enlarge blood vessels. Because of this, it is known medically to decrease blood pressure. Quercetin also helps to cure inflammation and used in prescription for cancer cures sometimes. Another nutrient propiin is a component of garlic and has a similar chemical feature of aliin which enhances intake of vitamin B1 into cells. Vitamin B1 is essential to recover from fatigue. Not only onions but many other foods contain different types of chemicals useful for our health. Interesting stories in terms of these useful chemicals and foods are described in a book shown here by Dr. Akihiko Ogura.