shallot

[shal-uh t, shuh-lot]

noun

a plant, Allium cepa aggregatum (or A. ascalonicum), related to the onion, having a divided bulb used for flavoring in cookery.
the bulb of this plant.

Origin of shallot

1655–65; aphetic variant of earlier eschalot < French échalote, diminutive of Middle French eschaloigne scallion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for shallot

Contemporary Examples of shallot

When oil shimmers, add the anchovies, garlic, shallot, and bread crumbs.
Sam Sifton’s Thanksgiving Recipes
Sam Sifton
November 20, 2012
Directions: In a bowl, toss the shallot slices with the flour.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Plus Swiss Chard
The Daily Beast
November 25, 2008
Test a shallot slice to assure the oil is sufficiently hot enough to fry the shallots.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Plus Swiss Chard
The Daily Beast
November 25, 2008

Historical Examples of shallot

This sauce can be made with essence of truffle, or game, or shallot.
The Cook's Decameron: A Study in Taste:
Mrs. W. G. Waters
The genus is widely cultivated and furnishes several varieties of onion, chives, leek, garlic and shallot.
Flowers of Mountain and Plain
Edith S. Clements
When the shallot is hot pour off the oil, add one cup of brown gravy, and simmer for five minutes.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book
Victor Hirtzler
Mince a shallot onion and brown slightly with two spoonfuls of butter.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book
Victor Hirtzler
Chop up a shallot, and fry it in butter; add your haricots, with pepper and salt and tomato pure.
The Belgian Cookbook
Various

British Dictionary definitions for shallot

shallot

noun

Also called: scallion an alliaceous plant, Allium ascalonicum, cultivated for its edible bulb
the bulb of this plant, which divides into small sections and is used in cooking for flavouring and as a vegetable

Word Origin for shallot

C17: from Old French eschalotte, from Old French eschaloigne, from Latin Ascalōnia caepa Ascalonian onion, from Ascalon, a Palestinian town

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shallot

"small onion," 1660s, shortened from eschalot, from French échalote, from Middle French eschalotte, from Old French eschaloigne, from Vulgar Latin *escalonia (see scallion).