Chive is a slender, hollow-stemmed herb in the onion family (Allium schoenoprasum), grown for its green leaves rather than a bulb. Its flavor is mild and onion-like, with a delicate, grassy freshness that is milder than scallions or green onions. Chives are used raw or added at the very end of cooking, since heat quickly dulls their flavor, and are snipped over soups, omelets, potatoes, and sour-cream-based dishes, or used as a garnish. French cuisine treats chives as one of the classic fines herbes; many Asian cuisines instead use garlic chives, a related but distinct, stronger-flavored species.