Krommidin, kremmydin - onion

There are four bibliographical references to the onions of Cyprus in ancient texts: The earliest reference dates back to the 4th-3rd century BC, in the work 'Περί γρίφων' (On Riddles) by Clearchus of Soli. The word 'krommion' is mentioned among other food names and the passage is quoted by Athenaeus (2nd-3rd century BC) in his work Dipnosophistae. The second reference comes from Pliny (1st century AD) in his work ‘Natural History’: “They also have a smell that makes you weep, especially the Cypriot onions, but less so than those of Knidos” (Pliny, Natural History 19.101 Translation to Greek: Hadjioannou, 1975) Finally, there are two references from the 2nd century AD in Lucian's ‘Dialogues of the Courtesans’. First excerpt: ‘as we sailed from the Bosporus, I brought you onions and five saperdes and four perch from Cyprus’ (14.320). Second excerpt: 'Oh, how happy she will be to have you Dorion, because you will bring her onions and cheese from Cyprus, when you arrive there by ship from Gythio' (14.322) (translation: Hadjioannou, 1975).

One of the materials used for soufes, i.e. the poultices and suppositories on the new mother's reproductive area, was the onion. They would fry the onions with an egg and make a suppository or pound onions and boil them with wine. It was also believed that onions could help with the new mother's milk. Every time a new mother would start breastfeeding, they would boil onion skins and place them on the nipples to soften them. Onion was also associated with stimulating the body and fighting inflammation. People would give to a child that was changing teeth an onion to bite it, perhaps for its antiseptic properties. When people had bruises, they would put a lightly pounded onion on the bruise (Protopapa K, 2009, pp. 217, 229, 231-233, 271, 291, 354, 392, 526).