Onion

Baṣal is the Arabic name for Onion and it occurs once in the Qur’ān: ‘some of what the earth produces, its herbs and its cucumbers, its garlic, its lentils and its onions’.

Onions form part of a large group of plants including garlic, leek and chives, distributed mainly in Central Asia. They have been cultivated away from their native habitat since ancient times. The earliest visual depiction can be found in ancient Egyptian tombs, where they are shown as offerings.

Painted from specimens found in the Jebel Akhdar area of Oman, Blenheim in New Zealand, and other varieties in Dubai, UAE.

Grows at Kew in Edible Science: Kew’s Kitchen Garden.

Completed painting size: 54 x 76 cm.
Watercolour on paper