Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Laaer Zwiebel
Record Number: 58
Disclosure Date
The cultivation of onions in the region ”Land um Laa” can be traced back to the mid-19th century.
Photo: BM...
Laaer Zwiebel
(Laaer onions)
Abstract or claim
Traditional cultivation of ecotypes of onions (Laaer Gelbe and Laaer Rote = Laaer Yellow and Laaer Red; Schneeweisse Unterstinkenbrunner = Snow-white Unterstinkenbrunner) which have evolved in the region around Laa an der Thaya, Lower Austria.
Laaer onions are characterized by high genetic variability and perfect adaptation to the warm and dry pannonic climate of the region. The onions are allowed to grow slowly without irrigation. This and the natural ripening ensure premium quality.
Name of product, Product class
Onions, vegetables
Name of region
Laa an der Thaya, Weinviertel, Lower Austria, Austria
Field of search
Food and Agriculture
Name of information provider
AGRAR PLUS GmbH
Ing. Michael Staribacher
Mrs. Margarete and Mr. Karl Weiler
Laa/Thaya
Name of applicant for title
---
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
About 50 farmers in the region
Grantee(s), holder(s),
assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
---
Descriptors
- History:
Onions (Allium cepa L.) are one of the oldest cultivars of mankind and have been used as medical plants, spice plants and vegetables for millennia.
About 3200 B.C. onions appeared in Egyptian tomb paintings, inscriptions and documents.
A Sumerian cuneiform script (2300 B.C.) mentions onion patches and the Babylonian Codex Hammurabi (18th century B.C.) lays downs that those in need receive a monthly ration of bread and onions.
Around 500 B.C. onions were a common peasant food in Greece. In ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome the common folk relished onions and loved eating them raw.
Roman legionnaires brought the onions (“cepula”) to Central Europe.
From the Latin word ‘cepula’ the (Middle High German) term “zwibolle” and after that the present German term “Zwiebel” evolved.
In the Middle Ages onions became one of the most distributed vegetable varieties in Central Europe. In this period, onions served not only as food but were also used as good luck charms against plague.
At the time of the Renaissance different varieties of onions were already known.
In Austria, onions are traditionally cultivated in the pannonic area. The cultivation on fields became important around 1900.
Medicinal Uses:
Onions contain substances which were observed to kill infectious bacteria, to lower overall cholesterol while raising HDL, to aid in dissolving blood clots and to help to control blood sugar.
Fresh onion juice is used as a traditional household remedy against colds and coughs. Moreover, halfs of freshly sliced onions are used against insect stings by putting them on the affected skin parts.
The cultivation of onions in the area of Laa/Thaya is documented since the middle of the 19th century. Before 1850 one can assume that there was no field cultivation of vegetables. The reason for this is that the marshy soils of the lowlands around Laa had to be drained. A pre-condition was the completion of the training of the river Thaya in 1832.
Around 1890 the priest Mathias Gregora left behind a manuscript about the history of the city of Laa. He mentioned that onions and garlic were important and successful products of the region. Therefore one can assume that onions have also been cultivated to be sold on markets since the second half of the 19th century. They seem to have enjoyed a good reputation among retailers and consumers.
Over decades farmers continued to cultivate and improve the ecotype “Gelber Laaer” and “Roter Laaer” as the irrigation of fields is not possible in the arid environment of the northern Weinviertel.
In the 1990s the joint venture “IG Laaer Zwiebel” was founded.
Since 1992 the successfully adapted onion ecotypes have been registered in the Austrian List of Plant Varieties: Gelber Laaer (Variety number 809) and Roter Laaer (Variety number 873). The ecotype Schneeweisse Unterstinkenbrunner (Variety number 812) has been registered since 1995.
They are now available in seed trade, too.
- Region:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
The area of cultivation of Laaer onions encompasses the regions “Laaer Bucht” and “Thaya-Pulkau-Becken”.
Laaer Bucht and the lower Pulkau valley are bordered by hills, in the west by the Buchenberg and in the south by the hilly country of Hollabrunn and Mistelbach and the Ernstbrunner Wald (Ernstbrunner forest). The landscape is characterized by loess hills which transit to lowlands.
Climate and soil conditions:
Soils of the Laaer Bucht are arid terraces poor in humus with deep black earths on clay and brown earths on loess and smonitza soils.
The climate is pannonic, which means an annual temperature amplitude of about 20o C, annual precipitation of 300 – 450 mm with rainfalls mainly during the summer months of June and July, frequent winds and few foggy days.
Local soils and pannonic climate provide the best conditions for the development and cultivation of the onion ecotypes Laaer Rote and Laaer Gelbe. They are also crucial for the remarkably low pest pressure.
- Laaer Zwiebel:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Gelbe Laaer show round to flattish-round, yellow-brown bulbs.
Rote Laaer show round to flattened, magenta-red bulbs with white flesh and red rings. The bulbs are 50-70 mm in diameter and weigh 20-30 g.
Both varieties are sweet-tangy and do not taste significantly different.
Both are suited to be grown from seeds or from sets.
The farmers have selected varieties according to different aspects which has led to some variability in the varieties. Every now and then, white varieties have been selected in the region such as the ecotype “Schneeweisse Unterstinkenbrunner” (snow-white Unterstinkenbrunner). These white onions taste a bit hotter.
In the region of Laa mainly yellow onions (Gelbe Laaer) and only 20% red onions (Rote Laaer) are cultivated.
The quality of Laaer onions is due to special factors:
- Onions rely on natural precipitation as there is no irrigation. This
results in lower growth and, consequently, in a firmer and finer
texture, better aromatic taste and enhanced suitability for storage.
- They are hand graded.
- Natural ripening on the fields has a positive effect on the taste.
Method of production:
Laaer onions belong to the group of summer onions.
Soils are plowed in autumn and harrowed in spring. In mid-March, when the soils are in the best condition, onion seeds are sown in rows. Only about 5% of the onions are grown from sets.
The cultivation of the rare agricultural cultivars Laaer Rote, Laaer Gelbe and Schneeweisse Unterstinkenbrunner is funded within the framework of the Austrian Agri-environmental Programme (ÖPUL).
This programme lays down restrictions on the use of fertilizers and pesticides with regard to the cultivation of onions.
Harvest and storage:
Onions are harvested from August to September. The leaves are removed mechanically.
The average onion yield is 25 to 30 tonnes per hectare.
The onions are stored in wooden boxes in cool, dark and dry storage rooms. For retail, the onions are graded by hand and then packed in 5 kg, 10 kg or 25 kg sacks.
Quality control:
The quality of the Laaer Zwiebel is controlled by AMA (Agrarmarkt Austria).
Laaer Zwiebel has to fulfil the requirements for quality class I. This means the onions have to be firm and compact, free from bulges and roots, but may have marginal flaws concerning form, colour and surface. Bulbs must not germinate.
- Marketing:
Laaer onions are marketed from September to early May by the “Interessensgemeinschaft Laaer Zwiebel” (syndicate Laaer Zwiebel).
Onions are marketed directly in the region and to Austrian food traders, within the EU and by exports.
About 20 farmers and 6 representatives of the regional gastronomy are developing new marketing strategies for Laaer Zwiebel in order to promote this agricultural lead product of the region. These activities include information events and exhibitions on onions, an onion cook-book, and an annual onion festival at Laa/Thaya.
Connection with the geographical area and Traditional Knowledge
- Specific arid soils poor in humus and the dry pannonic climate provide ideal conditions for the cultivation
of onions of premium quality.
- Laaer onions encompass the varieties Gelbe Laaer, Rote Laaer and Schneeweiße Unterstinkenbrunner
which have evolved in and perfectly adapted to the local environment over centuries.
- Specific production methods (no irrigation, ripening on the field, hand-grading) and specific geographical
conditions allow for the production of onion with specific characteristics with respect to taste.
- The production of Laaer onions is the result of Traditional Knowledge passed on from generation to
generation: the Traditional Knowledge and expertise of onion farmers (adaptation of onions to
environmental constraints; development of local ecotypes; improvement of the genetic variability,
traditional cultivation and storage methods).
- Utilization:
Laaer onions are processed to onion chips, onion-Leberkäse (liver meatloaf), spreadable onion sausage, onion Preßwurst (sausage) and onion Schnaps.
-Protection:
-
Key Words
Food and Agriculture, Traditional Knowledge, Austria, region, Lower Austria, Weinviertel, Laa an der Thaya, onion, Allium cepa, Laaer Gelbe, Laaer Yellow, Laaer Rote, Laaer Red, Schneeweisse Unterstinkenbrunner, Snow–white Unterstinkenbrunner, Laaer onion, Laaer Zwiebel
Bibliography / References
- AGES Sortenliste 2008
http://www.ages.at/uploads/media/Sortenliste_2008.pdf
- Amtsblatt der Europäischen Gemeinschaften. GEMEINSAMER SORTENKATALOG FÜR GEMÜSEARTEN,
20. Gesamtausgabe (98/C 130 A/01)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:1998:130A:0001:0421:DE:PDF
- Bluza, Köch & Umurken- Auf den Spuren traditioneller Gemüsesorten in Österreich.
Die Küchenzwiebel- Allium cepa
http://www.arche-noah.at/etomite/index.php?id=188
- Common catalogue of varieties of vegetable species — 26th complete edition - Legend - List of
vegetable species - List of names of the person or persons responsible for the maintenance of
varieties and the authority holding the list of names of such persons
Official Journal C 196 A , 24/08/2007 P. 0001 – 0562
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:196:0001:01:EN:HTML
- Darstellung des Erzhzgthums Öst. u. d. Enns, 3. Band, 1834, S. 251.
- Das gesunde Land um Laa - Eingebettet in die Landschaft
http://www.biolandumlaa.at/landumlaa.php
- Der Förderungsdienst. Sonderheft 3/1966.
- DI Josef Keferböck: Skriptum zum Produktverwertungskurs Zwiebel, 1995.
- DI Wagner, 1991: Die Böden sind sommerheiße, sehr trockene Terassenfluren mit tiefgründigen
Schwarzerden
- Dorferneuerungsverein Hanfthal
http://www.hanfthal.at/vereine/dorf.html
- Erfahrungen mit der Förderung landwirtschaftlicher Vielfalt in Österreich
http://www.genres.de/infos/pdfs/bd13/13-10.pdf
- FIBL Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau, Ackerstrasse,
Postfach, 5070 Frick, 2003.
- Habitzl Martin, „Lebenserinnerungen“. Tagebuch von M.Habitzl, Laa an der Thaya, Katastralgemeinde
Hanfthal 115 (Mitteilung des Stadthistorikers von Laa, Dr. Rudolf Fürnkranz).
- Handschriftliches Manuskript von Pfarrer Mathias Gregora, 1890.
- Interessensgemeinschaft (IG) Laaer Zwiebel
http://www.agrarplus.at/projekte.lr.referenzen.iglaaerzwiebel.php?lang=de
- Laa an der Thaya das Zwiebelland
http://php.leader-austria.at/hpold/projekte/landwirtsch/thaya2.htm
- Laa an der Thaya (AT-NÖ01)
http://php.leader-austria.at/hpold/lags/thaya.htm
- Laaer Zwiebel
www.genuss-region.at
- Laaer Zwiebel
http://www.landfuergeniesser.at/geniesser/default_main.asp?medium=GENIESSER&sprache=d&id=45989&tt=GENIESSER_R4
- NPK-Dünger
http://www.gardora.at/wiki/Volld%C3%BCnger
- Onion aficionados weep
http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch312.html
- ÖPUL 2007 - Seltene landwirtschaftliche Kulturpflanzen (SLK)
http://www.ama.at/Portal.Node/ama/public?gentics.rm=PCP&gentics.pm=gti_full&p.contentid=10008.47328&MFA08_MEBSLK.pdf
- Österreichisches Programm zur Förderung einer umweltgerechten, extensiven und den natürlichen
Lebensraum schützenden Landwirtschaft Sortenliste "seltene landwirtschaftliche Kulturpflanzen"
www.landnet.at/filemanager/download/5710/
- R.Jandl, H. Anglberger, M. Reh und E. Halmschlager. Auswirkung von Düngemaßnahmen auf einen
sekundären Fichtenbestand im Kobernaußerwald mit Symptome des Fichten-Triebsterbens
http://www.boku.ac.at/diebodenkultur/volltexte/band-51/heft-4/jandl.pdf
- Schriftliche Mitteilung des Regionalentwicklungsverein Land um Laa;
Karl Nagl, 29.02.2008.
- SCHWEICKHARDT. Darstellung des Erzhzgthums Öst. u. d. Enns, 3.Band, 1834, S. 251.
- WINNA F. Dorfkunde Hanfthal, 1989.
- Winna Friedrich. „Dorfkunde“ Fürnkranz Rudolf Hanfthal" 1989, Seite 118 (Mitteilung des
Stadthistorikers von Laa, Dr.Rudolf Fürnkranz)
- Zwiebel
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwiebel (Zugriff: 20.3.2008)
- Zwiebel
http://www.foodnews.ch/x-plainmefood/20_lebensmittel/Zwiebel.html
- Zwiebeln
http://www.obst-gemuese.at/product/pages/zwiebeln
- Zwiebelfest
http://www.zwiebelfest.at/
- Zwiebelmetropole Heldrungen, BRD, 1996.
All internet references last accessed on 17th of September 2008.
Language Code
German
Product of www.genuss-region.at
Yes
Regional contact
Regionalentwicklungsverein Land um Laa
Stadtplatz 43, 2136 Laa/Thaya
Phone: 0664/40 43 111
E-mail: info@landumlaa.at
www.landumlaa.at
IG Laaer Zwiebel
Obm. Kienast Karl
2154 Unterstinkenbrunn 47
Phone: 02526/5232
Authors: Mag. Eva Sommer, Dr. Erhard Höbaus
19.02.2010, Lebensministerium III/4