What are Cipollini onions?

Cipollini onions are small Italian onions approximately the size of a golf ball. They have a thin skin, white flesh and a flattened appearance. Cipollini onions have more residual sugar than other types of onions, which give them a sweeter taste.

Cipollini is the Italian word for "little onion." It is pronounced "chip-oh-lee-nee." Cipollini onions are a good type of onion to caramelize by cooking over the stove with butter or by roasting in the oven. The sugars will concentrate together and the result will not have the sharp flavor of a raw onion. Another way to use cipollini onions is to add them to a potato salad with fennel and olives.