28 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



terranean, from whence the Greeks first pro- 

 cured them. Pliny says, the Ascalonian 

 onions are proper for sauce. 



Dr. Hasselquist found the eschalot wild in 

 Palestine. The root of this species of Allium 

 is conglobate, consisting of many oblong 

 roots, bound together by thin membranes ; 

 it is very pungent, has a strong but not un- 

 pleasant smell, and is therefore generally 

 preferred to the onion for making high- 

 flavoured soups and gravies. It is also much 

 used in pickles, particularly in the East 

 Indies. 



The eschalot is considered by the epicures 

 in beef-steaks, as the best seasoning for this 

 English dish; and those who are too refined 

 in palate to swallow the biting root, have 

 their plates rubbed with this relishing plant. 



It was first brought to England in the year 

 1548 ; and we may safely conjecture that it 

 soon found its way to the breakfast-table of 

 Queen Elizabeth. 



The eschalot is easily propagated from the 

 small roots or offsets, that afford us another 

 peculiar instance of the mode which Nature 

 has adopted in fulfilling her laws for the 

 renewal of the species. The viviparous plants 



