Chives look like long grass and have a little of the sweetness of young grass. This makes them ideal for salads. I also like them because I can enjoy them fresh. They don't have the strong acidity of fresh garlic or the harsh bite of a raw onion. Garlic and onion become mellower and sweeter as they are cooked, but chives taste great just clipped from the garden.
Chives are part of the onion family.
They should not be confused with scallions or spring onions, which grow long, hollow stems and have a more pronounced flavour. Chives are also distinct from shallots, which resemble small onions and are very bitter raw but divine when cooked. We are fortunate to have both the European and Asian variety of chives regularly available. The European has smaller, more delicate dark-green leaves that look like long, thin grass. That is the kind most of us see and use.