The real reason onions make you cry
You haven’t had a bad day and you aren’t feeling particularly emotional but something about chopping onions at your kitchen counter makes you tear up.
While not everyone cries to the same degree when cutting their onions, the cause of this veggie prep sensation can be directly attributed to science. Coventry University Senior Lecturer Duane Mellor has discovered that sulphuric acid forms in our eyes as a response to a chemical the onion releases.
ALSO SEE: How to cut an onion without crying
Sulphuric acid is dangerous but because the the chemical is so minimal it only affects the eyes, causing them to tear up. He explained to The Conversation that onions produce propanthial s-oxide, a chemical that is used to ward off pests. This volatile chemical is released when the skin of the onion is broken, evaporating and dissolving into the surface of our eyes. The chemical reaction produces a small amount of sulphuric acid, causing the eyes to tear up.
Mellor also discovered that not all onions are the same, with some making us cry more than others. According to his study, it depends on the soil. The pungency of an onion can be directly related to the soil it was planted in. If the soil had a higher amount of sulphur, the onion is more likely to make you cry. Sweeter onions are less likely to make you cry because they don’t have the compounds that produce propanthial s-oxide to irritate the tear ducts. The same goes for garlic.
ALSO SEE: The one thing you should always do before cutting garlic
While it’s nearly impossible to avoid tearing up when chopping onions, there are a few tricks of the trade, such as:
Using a sharp knife to cause less damage to the skin of the onions
Chilling your onions before chopping them
Running air conditioning while you prepare your vegetables
Mellor’s research just goes to show that onions really are nothing to cry about.
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