Shallots have a multi-bulb form similar garlic but with fewer, much larger bulbs. Sliced they appear similar to a small red onion. Their flavor is similar to red onion with a touch of garlic blended in. They are sharp with "tear power" that puts onions to shame.

Shallots have been a "gourmet" item in the U.S. and were mostly imported from France and sold for very high prices. This is changing with prices in California (where large quantities are now grown) dropping by more than half in the last couple of years. This was brought on by the large and growing Indian and Southeast Asian population here - shallots are much used every day items in those regions.

There are two varieties available in California, the large, often elongated European style and the small round Asian variety. Both are shown in the photo. The typical European shallot is 2-1/2 inches long, 1-1/2 inches across and weighs 1.5 ounces. The typical Asian shallot is about 1-1/4 inch long. 1-1/4 inches diameter and weighs 1/2 ounce.

What does a recipe mean when it says "One Shallot"? Here's my best estimate based on the shallots available in areas of Southern California that serve particular shallot using communities:

	1-1/2 ounce	European and American recipes
	1/2 ounce	Indian and Southeast Asian recipes

The way I interpret "1 shallot" is, if the bulbs are separate or wrapped together only with paper, each bulb is a shallot. If two bulbs are wrapped together under a layer that's fully living, they count as one shallot. Thus in the photo above, the European at the top and the Asian at bottom left both count as two shallots.

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