Chinese chives

❹ These originated as a wild herb in China and they are in fact a kind of onion, though it is the leaves and flowers that are eaten. Bunched for sale, they can look like large chives, though when they are grown commercially the plants are usually earthed-up like celery to make the lower parts of the stems white. The leaves, unlike those of ‘ordinary’ chives and onions, are solid and more or less flat, and the mildly garlicky flavour of the flowers makes them suitable for salads. They are of course excellent for seasoning, and leaves, buds and flowers can all be cooked. Fresh Chinese chives will keep for several days in plastic bags in the fridge salad compartment, and can be frozen.