One of the main ingredients in most dishes is onions. This vegetable is prized for its sweet-spicy flavor, which adds a piquant flavor to food. Onions are also considered a useful product that contains substances that can help with colds and other diseases. Every person who has cooked something at least once knows very well about one interesting and unpleasant feature of an onion – if you cut it, tears begin to flow from your eyes. This is accompanied by a burning sensation and runny nose, so you want to finish any actions with this vegetable quickly. Some people know that onions cause tears because they release volatile substances into the air. But what are these chemical compounds and why does the plant need them? Read our material and your horizons will expand in just a couple of minutes!
Contents
- 1 What types of tears are there
- 2 Why onions make you run tears
- 3 How plants protect themselves from pests
- 4 How to peel onions without tears
What types of tears are there
If you read the article about why tears help cope with stress, you probably know what types they are divided into.
First of all, human tears are basal – they are needed to always moisten our eyes and prevent them from drying out. Emotional tearsoccur when there is an excess of feelings or physical pain. Reflex tears protect our eyes from external influences of dust and other irritants.
Read also:How the smell of women’s tears affects the behavior of men
< h2>Why do onions make tears flow
When a person cuts an onion, reflexive tears flow from his eyes because the vegetable releases chemicals into the air. They have a very complex name – 1-propenyl-l-cysteine sulfoxide.
This substance is contained in every cell of the onion. If you cut an onion with a knife, bite it or crush it, the cells are destroyed, and as a result of chemical reactions, 1-sulfinylpropane is formed in the air. Its particles are very small, so they can easily fill even the largest kitchen and even penetrate into others rooms.
When these particles land on the mucous membrane of the eyes, they irritate pain receptors. This will be a big discovery for many people, but our eyesight has 400 times more pain receptors per square millimeter than our skin. Therefore, the substances present in onions immediately cause irritation, and the body tries to wash them away using reflex tears.
Scientists have created artificial lacrimal glands. How do they work and why are they needed?
How plants protect themselves from pests
Substances that irritate our eyes are needed by the onion for protection – they are given to it by nature itself. But the question arises: what does onion need to protect itself from? After all, its fruits are underground, birds and other animals cannot peck at them.
The answer is simple – do not forget that there are many insects and worms underground. Onions are a perennial plant and they don’t want to die quickly. He cannot escape from his enemies, so he can only defend himself with chemical weapons. The irritating substances in its cells repel all living things, but people have learned to endure this pain in order to add new flavors to their dishes.
Many plant species have protective mechanisms. In addition to onions, garlic has chemical irritants. Parsley also releases substances that repel pests, but they do not cause any harm to humans.
Also, some types of plants have hairs or even thorns. Through their hairs they secrete substances that cause irritation on the skin – for example, nettle has such protection. And the most famous flowers with thorns are roses.
This is interesting:Why don’t children like vegetables and what to do about it?
How to peel onions without tears< /h2>
Thanks to our article, you can now explain in simple words why onions cause tears. Its cells contain substances that are supposed to protect them from enemies – when cut, they are released into the air and irritate our eyes. The body tries to wash them away from the organs of vision with the help of tears.
You can protect yourself from tears when peeling onions by reducing the amount of irritating gases. To do this, you can pre-cool the vegetable in the refrigerator – the particles will become heavier and will not be able to spread quickly. You can also peel onions under water, which will retain irritants. Finally, you can sharpen the knife to prevent squeezing the vegetable.
Maybe you also know good life hacks for cooking lovers?Share them in our Telegram chat!
If you liked this article, be sure to subscribe to our Zen and Telegram channels. There you will find a lot of educational materials! If you want something interesting right now, read our article “How the hottest pepper in the world is killing people.”