QUESTION ONE
Their scientific name is Allium Cepa.They belong to the lily family of plants and are consumed all over the world. Onions are believed to have originated in several areas; these include the Mediterranean, Central Asia, Iran and Pakistan. It is necessary to note that onions exist in many varieties that grew in different parts of the world depending on the climates of the places.
There are many varieties of onions such as red, yellow, green, red and white onions which are in different shapes and sizes. The recent development of more varieties of onions is believed to have started in 1925 with the discovery of the male-sterile onions. This led to bio-engineering of different varieties for specific and varied conditions, which was a milestone as far as development of onions that are resistant to various diseases is concerned. Further, in 1945 the analysis of the sulfur compound in onions that causes lacramation led to the development of sweet onions.
Onions are consumed by most people due to their culinary and medicinal values. Onions are used in salads, cooking heated dishes, boiling, pickling, roasting, stewing and backing. Onions are further believed to treat colds, coughs, asthma and bronchitis. They are also believed to stimulate growth of health bifidobacteria in the colon and believed to lower blood lipids thus effective in management of cholesterol. Sulfides in onions are also believed to reduce tumor growth and thus being explored as a possible ingredient in the cure of cancer.
However, onions are not consumed by all. Some people don’t consume onions because they cause litosis (bad breathe). Moreover, Jain vegetarians and devotees do not consume onions due to the religious-regulated diets and beliefs.
QUESTION TWO
The food market like any other market has acquired an international recognition which involves exchange of foods between people in different geographical boundaries. In the food market there are locavores and global consumers.
The locavores consume food that is available for them locally while global consumers are those that love mixing cuisines from different peoples and cultures. The historical development of different people and the various circumstances and environments they were exposed to led to the variations in the types of foods consumed by these people. The differences were caused in the different dietary needs of these people. Due to different cravings in the diets, it led to people in each region finding foods in their surroundings that would satisfy these cravings.
Globalization of the food market is of benefit in several ways. This include that it has led to further innovation and development of the food industry. It has enabled countries to be able to curb food shortages and develop disease resistant food crops that are able to withstand the harsh and unpredictable climatic conditions in the face of global warming.
Globalization has widely contributed to foreign exchange and creation of thousands of jobs globally due to the export-import trade. The process has also increased the variety of foods available for the consumers and thus spoiling them for choice all over the world. Diversification of diets has also been proved to be of great importance to a person’s health as it helps boost immunity. Another key implication of globalization is increased sharing of knowledge on healthy eating. This has led to increased global concerns by consumers over what they eat, in terms of how beneficial it is to their health.
