When cooking define divided as in 2 onions peeled and thinly sliced or 1 cup Spanish olive oil divided?

In cooking, the term "divided" is used to indicate that an ingredient should be split into multiple parts and added to the recipe at different times or stages. The purpose of this is often to control the consistency, flavor, or texture of the dish.

In the examples you provided:

"2 onions peeled and thinly sliced or 1 cup Spanish olive oil divided" This instruction suggests that you can either use 2 thinly sliced onions or use 1 cup of Spanish olive oil divided into smaller amounts and added to the recipe at different points.

In this case, dividing the olive oil can provide better control over the oil's incorporation and can prevent the dish from becoming too oily.

Always refer to the specific recipe instructions to understand how an ingredient marked as "divided" should be used. The recipe should provide further guidance on when and how to incorporate the divided ingredient.