pearl onion

noun

1. a small white onion, often pickled and used as an appetizer or garnish.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pearl onion¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

I think Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye has a line like, “I belonged there like a pearl onion on a banana split.”

From Slate

The resulting mix, which also included ginger syrup, a dash of salt and verjus, a sort-of vinegar made from unripe grapes, was garnished with a pearl onion.

From Washington Post

The only supplemental charge on the menu is foie gras terrine, served as a slender bar with a thin overlay of cherry gel and strategically placed dots of sauce and garnishes, the best of which are pickled pearl onion petals and cherries.

From Washington Post

Food critic Tom Sietsema's first impressions: “From 'Light Beginning,' one of four menu categories, I opt for a summer salad that yields a wreath of colorful herbs and vegetables — cornets of summer squash, ribbons of carrot, miniature eggplant — interspersed with tufts of whipped goat cheese. 'Indulgence,' my second plate, is just that, panko-crusted, soft-centered sweetbreads encircled in lightly charred petals of pearl onion, each holding a drop of Madeira jus.”

From Washington Post

“Indulgence,” my second plate, is just that, panko-crusted, soft-centered sweetbreads encircled in lightly charred petals of pearl onion, each holding a drop of Madeira jus.

From Washington Post