A shallot is a small vegetable in the onion family. It looks like a little onion, often with copper or purple-red skin, and it often grows in a cluster — two or three bulbs stuck together — rather than as one big round onion. The taste is onion, but milder and a little sweeter, with a hint of garlic.

A shallot is a small vegetable in the onion family紅蔥頭是洋蔥家族裡的一種小蔬菜。 It looks like a little onion它看起來像一顆小洋蔥, often with copper or purple-red skin外皮通常是銅色或紫紅色, and it often grows in a cluster而且常常一叢一叢地長 — two or three bulbs stuck together兩、三顆球莖黏在一起 rather than as one big round onion而不是像一顆大圓洋蔥那樣單獨一顆。 The taste is onion味道是洋蔥味, but milder and a little sweeter但比較溫和、也帶點甜, with a hint of garlic還帶一點點蒜味。

French cooking uses shallots a lot in sauces. In a Taiwan kitchen, the small red bulbs you fry until they are crisp and brown, then sprinkle on rice or noodles, are what this word will hook to. Though actually, the “shallot” in a Western cookbook and the 紅蔥頭 in a Taiwan wet market are close cousins, not always the exact same plant — close enough for a learner.

French cooking uses shallots a lot in sauces法式料理常常在醬汁裡大量使用紅蔥頭。 In a Taiwan kitchen在台灣廚房裡, the small red bulbs you fry until they are crisp and brown那種你炸到酥脆、變成金黃色的小紅球, then sprinkle on rice or noodles然後灑在飯或麵上的東西, are what this word will hook to就是這個字會連結到的東西。 Though actually, the “shallot” in a Western cookbook and the 紅蔥頭 in a Taiwan wet market are close cousins不過其實，西方食譜裡的 shallot 和台灣傳統市場裡的紅蔥頭是近親, not always the exact same plant並不一定是完全相同的植物 — close enough for a learner但對學習者來說已經夠接近了。

Do not picture the long green tubes. Those are spring onions: same wide family, different vegetable.

Do not picture the long green tubes不要把它想成長長的綠色蔥管。 Those are spring onions那個是青蔥（spring onion）: same wide family, different vegetable同樣是大家族的一員，但不同的蔬菜。