Why do we cry when we chop onions?

The onion is the most basic vegetable to add while cooking. Think about scrambled eggs or even fried potatoes without it. Quite weird, at least for me. It's the sweetness and spiciness of onion, that make every meal so yummy.

But have you ever asked yourself why almost everyone starts crying while chopping it? Some people say that's because of its specific scent and somehow they are right, since the smell is connected to a compound, released at the moment we cut an onion. When it's mixed with the lacrimal fluid in our eyes, it irritates them and makes us cry, but even though, the onion is still one of the most popular vegetables in the world.

Since I don't cry while cutting an onion, I'm the lucky one. Maybe it's because of the fact that I usually wear contacts but that's something we can consider some other time.

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