This 5000 year old ingredient could make your food tastier and healthier

Onions - Perhaps the most underrated vegetable in the modern era

Onions are an ingredient that have been with us for a long time. Besides just the standard white or yellow onion we all think of, there's related varieties like garlic, chives, and leeks.

Onions have been eaten since the dawn of humanity. In prehistoric times, nomadic tribes would have eaten wild onions that they could find. As human settlements grew into large civilizations, onions were domesticated and bred for favorable traits.

Onions were a very important staple in Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian workers building the Pyramids were paid not in currency, but in food, including onions. Onions provided a nutritional boost to the Egyptian worker's diet, as it consisted mostly of grains and beer.

The Greeks and Romans also loved onions and their related cousins like leeks. Many of the recipes in the Ancient Roman Cookbook Apicius De Re Coquinaria use leeks or onions as an ingredient.

Onions have been used all throughout human history; and there's a good reason why:

First off, when cooked, they can elevate the flavor of a dish greatly. When cooked, onions add a great umami flavor to a dish. Beyond the great flavor they add to a dish, onions are highly nutritious.

Onions contain many antioxidants that can slow down the appearance of aging. They are a great source of fiber, including pre-biotic fibers, to support gut health. Onions can even help to regulate blood sugar levels. And if that wasn't already enough, onions contain antiviral compounds that make them great to eat if you have a cold.

The next time you walk through the grocery store aisles and pass by the onions, don't just pass up these amazing flavor-packed nutrition bombs with an ancient history of usage.

The next time you find yourself cooking at home, try adding some onion to your dish and see how much it can improve the flavor. You'll get the added bonus of the nutritional benefits of eating onions without even realizing it. Try it out in your next bowl of rice, stew, or anything you like.