ONION (בָּצָל, H1294). Mentioned once in Numbers 11:5. “The leeks, the onions”—the longed-for vegetables that the Israelites missed in their trek in the wilderness. It was prob. similar to the Egyp. onion grown today—Allium cepa—only much smaller. Onions were grown near the Nile, and still are today. The flavor was pungent, good and sweet. The onions were eaten raw, boiled, roasted, fried, and were made into soup.