I bought 8 kilos of Roscoff onions on the internet, back at christmastime. I gave several kilos to various relatives; I have a couple of kilos left. Roscoff on

I bought 8 kilos of Roscoff onions on the internet, back at christmastime. I gave several kilos to various relatives; I have a couple of kilos left. Roscoff onions are recommended by French chefs, particularly for making onion soup and tarte a l'oignon. Roscoff onions have bite; but they are also sweet, and can be scrumped like apples. Breton fishermen used to cross the channel with a load of onions and a bicycle, and cycle around the English south coast with strings of onions dangling around their necks, for sale. So for many years, the stereotypical Frenchman (in English eyes) wore a beret, and a white jersey with horizontal blue stripes - the costume of a Breton mariner. This was the "Onion Johnny". You can't (generally) buy Roscoff onions in British supermarkets. I've heard of sightings, but I've never seen them myself. Roscoff onions are seasonal (I think the harvest is late autumn), and they don't keep very well unless you put them somewhere really cool and dark. Vidalia onions are a new one on me. Maybe they're a US specialty.