Chives have a mild onion flavour. Their pungency is not as pronounced as that of garlic and onions, which are considered the bigger cousins of chives. The delicate flavour that chives impart to food makes it a very useful herb to use in a variety of situations.
Chives are widely used in stews and soups, especially potato and asparagus soups. The chopped leaves can be sprinkled in salads or used to flavour various sauces, dips, soy mayonnaise, and sour cream. Chives can also be used to garnish cottage cheese, and potatoes.
Chives have similar properties to other allium vegetables, except that chives are milder, since they have fewer sulphur compounds. While garlic or onions are well documented to possess anticancer, anticlotting, hypolipidemic, antibacterial, antiviral, and decongestant properties, chives could be expected to possess similar, but substantially attenuated, characteristics. Population studies have shown that a higher intake of allium vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of several types of cancers. The organosulphur compounds they contain inhibit tumour growth and cell proliferation, and arrest the cell cycle in tumour cells. Allium vegetables, including chives, especially have a protective effect against both oesophageal and stomach cancer as well as prostate cancer. The highest antioxidant activity in chives is observed in the leaves, which are also rich in flavonoids.