Bugün öğrendim ki: Geleneksel olarak dövüş yemeği olarak bilinen soğan, acımasız rekabete dayalı Olimpiyatlar için antrenman yapan Yunan sporculara yedirildi ve arenaya girmeden önce gladyatörler soğan suyuyla masaj yapıldı.
**Onion** is the common name for the [herbaceous](/entry/Herb "Herb"), cold season [plant](/entry/Plant "Plant") _**Allium cepa**_ , which is featured by a edible, rounded bulb composed of concentric, fleshy, tightly packed, and enlarged [leaf](/entry/Leaf "Leaf") bases. Onion is also the name of this edible bulb, which is commercially valuable and known for its pungent oil that departs a strong taste. Closely related plants of the same genus include [chives](/entry/Chive "Chive") _(Allium schoenoprasum)_ , garlic ( _A. sativum_ and _A. scordoprasum_ ), and [leeks](/entry/Leek "Leek" ) _(A. porrum)_. There are other plants in the genus _Allium_ that also have the common name of onion, such as the Welsh onion _(A. fistulosum)_ , but when used without qualifiers, onion usually refers to _Allium cepa_. It is also known as the **garden onion**. Onions offer a unique (pungent) flavor and odor that makes them prized for a multitude of dishes. Furthermore, human [creativity](/entry/Creativity "Creativity") has improved upon the species by making a wide number of cultivars with different, desirable attributes. The expression "layers of the onion" is used to describe a situation in which it is possible to go deeper and deeper revealing seemingly similar layers until a central core is reached. It has been used as a metaphor in mysticism to describe the supposed layers of reality.