Give your lover shallots this Valentine’s Day, suggests PM Prayut

The smell of red onion is in the air this Valentine’s Day in Thailand as Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha invites the public to send shallots to their lover instead of a red rose this year.

PM Prayut is pushing shallots as a symbol of love this V-day to support shallot farmers in Srisaket province in northeast Thailand.

The shallots grown by Srisaket farmers are specially marketed in Valentine’s Day packaging ready for you to present as a gift to your loved one.

The packaging includes the Thai slogan, “Give Srisaket shallots to those you love.”

Shallots are a botanical variety of the onion and a staple in Thai cooking, almost always used as an ingredient in chili paste, curries, and sometimes fish sauce.

In Thai language, the shallot is called “hom daeng.” Daeng means red and hom means “good smell,” so they are commonly used to add aroma and flavour to a range of…