I have never, ever, cooked a leek. To be honest, I am very confused about the difference between a leek, a green onion, a scallion, a shallot, and a chive...so hey, why not finally find out for myself! (and anyone else who has wondered!)
Leeks are related to onions and garlic: members of the alliaceae family. A leek's bulb never develops as bulbous-ly, but rather stays cylindrical, and grows tall and wide green stalks. The inner light-green leaves are used more than the darker-green ones because of the latter's bitter flavor. Green onion and scallion actually ARE two names for the same thing: and they essentially look like mini-leeks. They are more mild in flavor than onions, and they never fully grow a bulb (hence why the white part is so small). Shallot, on the other hand, actually is a different plant than the scallion, and its oblong bulb is somewhat sweeter than the onion. Finally, the chive is the smallest of all onion relatives, with the skinniest of green stalks.
HOW GOOD THEY ARE FOR YOU:
+ only 1 ounce of leek actually has a considerable amount of nutrients: about 10% vitamins A, C, and K, and a bit of folate, iron, calcium, and manganese
+ like other onion relatives and garlic, leek phytonutrients help to maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels, and protect the body from growing cancer cells and toxins
+ onion-family flavanoids have been shown in research to lower risk for ovarian cancer
FUN FACTS:
+ the term "ramp" is used for wild leeks
+ Aristotle claimed that the partridge bird's clear voice was due to eating leeks
+ leeks are most commonly prepared in potato and leek soups!
+ avoid over-cooking leeks to prevent them from becoming slimey and mushy
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