Texas designated sweet onion as the official state vegetable in 1997. Originating around Iran, onions have been cultivated for 7,000 years and have played an important part in history. Onions came to the New World with Spanish Explorers - the perfect compliment to our native corn, peppers, and tomatoes. The famed sweet onions of Texas began in 1898 with a packet of Bermuda onion seed planted near Cotulla in South Texas.

The Lone Star State's most famous onion ("Texas 1015" - usually planted October 15) is super sweet and contains very little pyruvate (tear-causing substance released during chopping). Onions are now the leading vegetable crop of Texas. Americans consumed 18.6 pounds of onions per person in 1998.

Source:

History of the Sweet Texas Onions: Texas A&M University

Links:

Texas Onions - sweet to the core: TX A&M University
Onions - Fun Facts: New Mexico State U
Kids Gardening Resources: Texas A&M University
Just for Kids - Nutrition in the Garden: Texas A&M Univ.
About Texas Sweet Onions: South Texas Onion Committee
Cooking With Onions: National Onion Association
All About Onions: What's Cooking America
Texas Sweets & Texas 1015s: The Sweet Onion Source
American Food and Agricultural Symbols
American Food Holidays