The difference between chives and scallions is marked and quite real. However, a great many people seem to have a hard time noting the differences between the two. In fact, a great many people consider these things to be pretty interchangeable. The truth of the matter is that they are not. Chives are very different from scallions.
In order to appreciate the difference between chives and scallions (and what about green onions?!), there are several things that you are going to want to keep in mind.
What Are Chives
Chives have been an element to the world of cuisine for centuries now. The Chinese have been keeping them around for thousands of years at this point. One of the nicest features to chives would have to be the fact that they are perennial. They are considered to be the smallest cultivar within the Alliaceae family. The plants themselves are capable of reaching a height of anywhere between thirty to fifty centimeters. The leaves themselves are capable of reaching a height of approximately fifty centimeters. These bulbous plants frequently grow in what can best be described as clumps.
Upon reaching maturity, you can find these plants showing off purple flowers. Another feature to chives that’s worth keeping in mind is how easy it is to grow them. You can find these items in a wide variety of gardens in a wide variety of locales, owing to their durability.
These are some of the main features of chives to keep in mind. Consider these features, as you learn more about the features associated with scallions.
What Are Scallions
Scallions also go by names like green onion, spring onion, and salad onion. Whatever you call them, you’re pretty much talking about the same thing. Since scallions and green onions come from the same genus and species, they are so similar to one another, discussing their differences is pretty much a moot point. Keep this in mind, as you consider the features of scallions, and as you set about comparing scallions and chives.
You’ll notice a bright green quality to the upper leaf portion. Moving down, you will find lower bulbs that are white in appearance. These onions are harvested at any extremely young age, which explains at least a couple of the names a scallion can go by. You will not find a matured bulb. If you harvest these same plants at a later age, you’ll notice a flower stalk. Both the leaves and bulbs of these scallions tends to be very much on the tender side of things. A light pungency is often associated with the taste, but this tends to be milder than onions which have matured more.
Scallions are a commonplace ingredient to many dishes. This is largely because scallions are versatile, in terms of the different foods they can work with. They can add both flavoring and color to many a dish or meal.
What Is The Difference Between A Scallion And A Chive
Green onions are often thrown in the mix, in terms of talking about the difference between chives and scallions. Once you understand that green onions is essentially just another name for chives, you can focus more readily on understanding how scallions are different from chives.
One of the first differences between chives and scallions that you will want to note concerns usage. In the first place, people generally just use the leaves found with chive plants. With scallions, people tend to use pretty much the entire plant. Furthermore, chives tend to offer a softer flavor experience than scallions. You will also note that chives tend to be much thinner than scallions. Keeping this in mind can make it easy to determine the difference between them from a physical standpoint.
Another interesting difference between chives and scallions will come up while cooking. When you cook chives, you’ll notice some of the flavor disappears. For this reason alone, in order to preserve the distinctive flavor people love with chives, you’re generally going to want to use them in the raw form. People will chop them very fine, or they will have them sliced up into large chunks. Scallions can also be enjoyed in both raw and cooked forms.
Chives also tend to be used more for garnishing, whereas scallions are more popular as an actual flavor ingredient. A pancake, a sandwich, or just about any baked dish you can imagine are all examples of things that use chives as a garnish. When it comes to scallions, keep in mind that they can work nicely with all recipes that call for white/green onions.
You will also want to notice some further differences with the leaves. Some leaves found on chives can be tubular or flat, which is not something you should ever run into with scallions.
These are just a few of the differences between chives and scallions to note.
