The Leeky Cauldron

So, there is a food mystery here in Sweden. Where did all the green onions go? I was so used to buying a bunch of green onions (aka scallions) that when they disappeared from the produce department seemingly overnight, I thought there must be a mistake.

Now, TJ and I usually shop at two stores: ICA Maxi and Willy:S; one right after the other (cheaper produce and Diet Coke at Willy:S). The green onions. Gone from both stores. I checked the local Hemköp around the corner from our apartment just to be sure. Nada. What happened? Did the local or regional suppliers just stop growing it?

What remained in the produce department was another vegetable. One that I had always seen. A long green stack and a white bulbous bottom. Like a green onion on steroids. I had wondered what it was. It is purjolök. So, it was some type of onion or so I thought. Lök is the word for onion in Swedish. But, it is used indiscriminately (to thwart people like me). For example, garlic is vitlök in Swedish: white - onion. Hmmm.

So, the upshot is that I bought this uber onion and used it. The flavor was oniony, but just a little off. I figured this was the new onion for Winter. A whole lotta onion.

Then, one day we were in the self-checkout line at Willy:S. It was our first time buying a purjolök there. We selected onion from the menu on the touchscreen and placed the purjolök in the bag. Warning! Warning! An attendant comes over, inspects our bag, and informs us that the item in question is not an onion. Rather, it is a leek. How embarrassing. Who knew my Vegetable IQ was so low?

But, that still leaves me wondering. Where did the green onions go?