Tulips - a flop when fried, tops in the vase

What did a merchant do when he was delivered unknown onions in the 16th century? He ate them, which was a mistake. Because they were tulip bulbs.

First tulip bulbs were fried

When the tulip came to Europe in the 16th century, it caused great excitement, especially among the Dutch. The first onions are said to have been fried by mistake, because they were thought to be edible onions.

But since they did not taste good, the remaining ones were thrown on the manure, where they sprouted the most beautiful flowers a year later.

Flowering and decline of the tulip

Now suddenly unimaginable sums of money were paid for them, until in 1637 the prices dropped dramatically and quite a few Dutchmen lost all their possessions. Nevertheless, the tulip trade in the Netherlands did not stop.

Even after the «Black Friday of Alkmaar», the Sun King Louis XIV still had four million tulip bulbs imported every year. And the Turkish Sultan Ahmed III also ordered thousands of them.

Swiss still love tulips today

And the Swiss? Are still completely «in love with tulips» today.

This is shown not only by the many surveys, but also by the fact that tulips sell best in Switzerland from January to April.