"An onion of idolatry" or the historical dimension of a Talmudic term

The purpose of this article is to examine the real meaning of an enigmatic Amoraic expression An onion of Idolatry in the light of the historical context that prevailed in Late Antique Palestine. It seems a priori that an Egyptian ritual custom has to be considered. Yet, since no archeological or literary instances of this Egyptian rite have been found in Palestine proper, this identification has to be rejected. The article suggests, however, that this Talmudic expression was referring to an Ascalonite shallot which was consecrated to syro-phoenician gods in the coastal cities of the Land of Israel in the first centuries CE.