Scallions is not an Americanism

[Monty27]

I got accused today of using an Americanism. I said it's Irish, it became transaltantic after the famine.
Scallions in mash on st Patrick's Day is Irish. With cabbage and bacon of course. No Guinness but Irish coffees and beers and cava I was hosting

It's English, isn't it?

I thought it was English too

I like scallions in mashed potatoes, and I'm American. But most botanists believe scallions and all onions cake from Asia. 🤷

AFAIK scallions is Scottish.

Came, not cake

If it tasted good, does it matter?

I'd have said Irish. It's a variation of colcannon.

Syboes is Scottish. I don't think I (as spokesperson for All The Scots) have heard scallions used here. I'd presumed Irish too.

It's 2019. With the internet we are all hearing different accents and terms more frequently. The obsession with whether or not a word is "American" or whatever needs to stop. Young people today do not care and will use the words they think sound cool or that their friends like, no matter if it's from UK, Ireland, Australia, US, whatever.

I honestly cannot imagine myself EVER commenting on someone using a word from a different English dialect and I've never seen it done in real life.

Scallions Irish
Spring onions English

GruciusMalfoy

Syboes is Scottish.

You're right. It's syboes that's Scottish. Spring onions in England.

Scallions in Ireland, spring onions in England.

As an English person I'd never heard of scallions until I met DH & his Irish family. I call them scallions myself now.

The mash with milk, butter and scallions was delightful. But DD accused me of using an Americanism.
It's scallions since I ever knew.
DD is 26 and watches loads of American stuff.
I am Irish and very much older.
It's scallions. And it's not American I tell ya

Have to admit I'd always thought it was an American term. I was brought up (in England) calling them spring onions, although they are called salad onions in the naice shops around here. I guess the Americans must have imported it from Ireland? Sounds delicious in any case.

It's definitely an Irish word.

I don't know where it originated, but I'm pretty sure they are called scallions in the US.

So, probably you are both right. Which is always the best outcome.

My mum was from County Durham. She said scallions or scally-onions.

Scallions are spring onions. I wouldn't say it was a word particularly associated with the US. I have heard spring onions called scallions in the UK too.

I am American and we have always called them "green onions".
Never heard "scallions" until I watched the first Gordon Ramsay TV shows where he actually cooked - "'The F Word" was one.

I love the Scally onions theory @81byerley. Or shouldn't that be Liverpudlian?
This is a very light hearted thread.
Hope you all had a good st Patrick's Day if you celebrated

There's a nice list here of what they are called all over the world.

Scallions in Ireland; scallions or green onions in US; spring onions in UK.

Should have said spring onions in UK excluding Northern Ireland. I didn't mean to offend anyone, apologies if I did .

Meaning - late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French scaloun, based on Latin Ascalonia (caepa ) ‘(onion) of Ascalon’, a port in ancient Palestine.

So not American !

I've only ever known them as Scallions (from Northern Ireland) and even now if I called them spring onions I'd get a look.

Monty, we call the dish you made 'Champ' and it's a big favourite in restaurants local to me especially served with steak, in fact many's an evening I have just that for my tea... I'd love a bowl of Champ now!

THANK YOU - i knew I was right. In your face DH!