Wednesday’s Helping: Chives

A flavorful relative to the big O

This herb is known for its long and thin green leaves and subtle onion flavor. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are the smallest members of the onion family. Marco Polo brought the chive plant to Europe from China. There are several species with either flat or tubular leaves that can grow to 50 cm tall. Asian markets can sell larger chive stems for stir fries that we first tried in a dish made by the Chinese-American mother of a good friend in San Francisco. Chives look like scallions; however, they are skinnier. Chefs can chop up this herb and use it to garnish and add color to almost any dish. If you don’t have green onion, chives will do in a pinch for almost any recipe. Look for chives all year long in any major grocery store. This little herb is a good source of Vitamin A.