[3] The names scallion and shallot derive from the Old French eschalotte, by way of eschaloigne, from the Latin Ascalōnia caepa or "Ascalonian onion", a namesake of the ancient Eastern Mediterranean coastal city of Ascalon.

An eponymous gastronomic event is traditionally held between the end of winter and early spring, where calçots are grilled, dipped in salvitxada or romesco sauce, and consumed in massive quantities.

[16] [17] In Asian cuisine, diced scallions are often used in soup, noodle, and seafood dishes, sandwiches, curries, and as part of a stir fry.

In south India, spring onions stir fried with coconut and shallots (known as Vengaya Thazhai Poriyal in Tamil and Ulli Thandu Upperi in Malayalam) are served as a side dish with rice.

In the southern Philippines, it is ground in a mortar along with ginger and chili pepper to make a native condiment called wet palapa, which can be used to spice dishes or as a topping for fried or sun-dried food.

A kind of sauce, mỡ hành (Welsh onion fried in oil), is used in dishes such as cơm tấm, bánh ít and cà tím nướng.

Welsh onion is the main ingredient in the dish cháo hành, which is a rice porridge used to treat the common cold.