Folks from Washington go hard for the Walla Walla sweet onion. In fact, it became the state's official vegetable in 2007. But the beginnings of this particular allium go far beyond the Pacific Northwest -- across an ocean or two, in fact.

The seed for the onion that would eventually become the Walla Walla sweet came from Corsica, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Though Corsica is located just west of Italy and has strong Italian cultural influences from previous Roman, Pisan, and Genoese rulers, the region has been under French control since 1769.