Small onion-like bulbs with a mild, slightly sweet flavor, used in cooking and often preferred to regular onions in fine cuisine.
From Old French 'eschalotte,' which came from the Levantine city of Ashkelon. The word traveled through French cuisine into English. Ashkelon was famous for exporting these bulbs in medieval times.
Shallots are named after an ancient Israeli city because medieval traders brought them from the Middle East to Europe—so every time a chef uses shallots, they're using something named after international trade from a thousand years ago!
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