Oignon de Roscoff (Allium cepa) — the pink onion from the northern coast of Brittany, holding AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, granted 2009) and AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) status. These are grown exclusively in a defined area around the port town of Roscoff in Finistère, where the maritime climate — mild winters, cool summers, salt air and reliably wet Atlantic weather — produces an onion with a sweetness and juice content that inland varieties do not reach. The pink-copper skin is the visual marker, but it is the flavour that earned the designation: sweet, mild, and with a complexity that survives both raw and cooked applications without the harshness that makes most onions difficult to eat uncooked. Roscoff onions have a history that crosses the Channel. From the early 19th century, Breton farmers — known as Johnnies — sailed from Roscoff to England and Wales each autumn, selling strings of pink onions door to door from their bicycles. The tradition lasted well into the 20th century and is the reason the Roscoff onion is one of the few French vegetables with genuine name recognition in Britain. These arrive as a traditional string — the onions are hand-plaited by their dried stems, which is both the traditional storage method and the most practical way to keep them at home. Hang in a cool, dry place and cut onions from the string as needed. Origin: Roscoff, Finistère, Brittany, France (AOC/AOP) Ingredients: Roscoff onions (Allium cepa) Storage: Hang the string in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. Do not refrigerate. Cut individual onions from the string as needed. Properly stored, they keep for several months.
