St. David’s To Celebrate The Bermuda Onion
When Mark Twain visited Bermuda in 1877, he described the central role the island’s namesake onion had assumed in local life and culture by the late 19th century: “The onion is the pride and joy of Bermuda. It is her jewel, her gem of gems. In her conversation, her pulpit, her literature, it is her most frequent and eloquent figure.
“In Bermuda metaphor it stands for perfection — perfection absolute.
“The Bermudian weeping over the departed exhausts praise when he says, ‘He was an onion!’ The Bermudian extolling the living hero bankrupts applause when he says, ‘He is an onion!’ The Bermudian setting his son upon the stage of life to dare and do for himself climaxes all counsel, supplication, admonition, comprehends all ambition, when he says, ‘Be an onion’!”
Introduced to the island around 1616 and soon became a staple crop, the sweet and succulent Bermuda onions was first exported to the East Coast from St. George’s in 1847.
The industry thrived until the early decades of the 20th century when a combination of high US import tariffs and competition from American farmers sounded a dual death knell for Bermuda’s onion producers.
The St. David’s Historical Society is hosting Bermuda Onion Day on Saturday [June 1] at Carter House from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
To show its support for the event, the National Museum of Bermuda shared this photograph on its Facebook page depicting women and children packing Bermuda onions for export, circa 1900.
– Photograph courtesy of the National Museum of Bermuda
