Onions
Fausset's Bible Dictionary [1]
Hasselquist (Travels, 290) says "they are in Egypt sweet, not nauseous and strong as in other countries .... They eat them roasted, cut into four pieces, with roasted bits of meat (the Turkish Kekab ); and with this dish they are so delighted that they wish they may enjoy it in paradise." This gives point to Israel's regrets ( Numbers 11:5). They were the staple food of the labourers on the pyramids (Herodotus, ii. 125). They contain nitrogen largely, and are considered equivalent in nutriment to four times their weight of any other vegetable. In warm countries they grow to the size of a large orange.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [2]
Onions ( bĕtsâlîm , Numbers 11:5 ). The onion ( Allium cepa , Arab. [Note: Arabic.] basal ) is and always has been a prime favourite in Palestine and Egypt.
E. W. G. Masterman.
Morrish Bible Dictionary [3]
The well-known vegetable: only once mentioned. The Israelites, having enjoyed them in Egypt, lamented their loss in the wilderness. Numbers 11:5 . The onions in Egypt are mild in flavour, and sweet, and are much prized.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [4]
un´yunz ( בּצלים , becālı̄m ; κρόμμυον , krómmuon ): One of the delicacies of Egypt for which the children of Israel pined in the wilderness ( Numbers 11:5 ). The onion, alllium cepa (Natural Order Liliaceae ), is known in Arabic as buṣal and is cultivated all over Syria and Egypt; it appears to be as much a favorite in the Orient today as ever.
