From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
A member of the onion family, Allium ascalonicum, very subtle in flavor, the darling of French cuisine. Any haute cuisine recipe for sauce or soup will probably call for these delicately flavored members of the lily family. Pliny thought shallots took their name from the ancient Middle Eatern trading town of Ascalon, where they were believed to have originated. In fact, they came from Asia Minor. During the Crusades, they were brought back to Europe as a "new" food and were immediately adopted by the French. The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto is said to have introduced shallots to the U.S. during his Louisiana explorations in the 16th century. In time, French settlers to Louisiana made the shallot an important ingredient in their cooking. The Latin name for shallots is escalonia.
