Tearless Onions Are Finally Here

Save your tears. Literally. Because an onion that keeps you from crying could soon be yours. And while we’ve worked around more than enough methods to keep from blubbering while chopping our beloved onions, this development comes highly anticipated. Meet the Sunion.

According to a report featured in the LA Times, these Sunions aren’t even genetically modified—they’re the product of 30 years of meticulous crossbreeding at the hands of devoted farmers. Apparently, the Sunion is sweet and crunchy. So, kind of like an onion, just no tears. I can get behind that.

When you cut an onion, it releases a sharp chemical compound called lachrymatory-factor synthase, which when it wafts into our eyes leaves us weepier than the end of Erin Brokovich. The Sunion, however, is stark, emotionless. And for once, that’s good! The amount of lachrymatory-factor synthase being released actually decreases as you cut into a Sunion. In a test trial, choppers preferred the experience of cutting a Sunion five to one when compared to a regular onion.

Picture it: You assemble your mise en place and grab your knife, but instead of the usual, bleary-eyed, gasping-for-air situation that occurs as you dice onions—be they red, white, or yellow; they don’t discriminate!—you can actually slice through the allium unscathed, tear ducts as dry as sandpaper.

The Sunions are currently being grown in Nevada and Washington, with plans for nationwide a rollout sometime in late December in the works. They’re to be sold until March or April, or until supplies last. Which, if everyone’s as excited for them as I am, shouldn’t be too long.

Would you try a Sunion? Let us know in the comments.