The A&W Restaurant Is Credited With Popularizing The Onion Rings In The 1960′S

June 22nd recognizes a batter dipped and deep fried bite of deliciousness that runs rings around other appetizers.  It’s National Onion Rings Day!

Also found in Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and some parts of Asia, onion rings exact origin are unknown.

• A recipe called “Fried Onions with Parmesan Cheese” is included in John Mollard’s 1802 cookbook The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined.  Within the recipe, it suggests cutting onions into 1/2 inch rings, dipping them into a batter made of flour, cream, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese then deep frying them in boiling lard. It recommends serving them with a sauce made of melted butter and mustard.
• Some believe that a recipe for French Fried Onions (not claiming to be the originator of the recipe) appeared in the Middletown, NY Daily Times on January 13, 1910.
• The Pig Stand restaurant chain, founded in Oak Cliff, Texas in the early 1920s is one of the claimants to the onion rings invention.
• A recipe for deep-fried onion rings that are dipped in milk then dredged in flour appeared in a 1933 Crisco advertisement in The New York Times Magazine.  
• In the 1960′s, the A&W restaurant is credited with popularizing the onion rings in fast food restaurants.
• US produces more than 2 million metric tons of onions annually.
• Americans consume 20 pounds per person annually.
• Eating parsley will help get rid of onion breath.
• The fastest time to peel 50 pounds of onions is 2 minutes 39 seconds.
• Peter Glazebrook – a British farmer grew the world’s largest onion ever in 2011. The onion made it to Guinness Book of World Records and weighed 18 lbs.
• 9,326,744 ORDERS SERVED. In 2017, Culver’s served 9,326,744 orders of Onion Rings. That’s more Onion Rings than there are people in Culver’s home state of Wisconsin!
• Most of Culver’s white onions come from the Treasure Valley region of Idaho and Oregon, where approximately 21,000 acres of onions are planted every year.
• Onions have been around for quite some time. The oldest know cultivation of onion dates back to around 5,000 BCE. This means that they have been around for some 7,000 years. Yes, onions have been around since Bronze Age.
•  In ancient Egypt, onions were worshiped. It was believed by ancient Egyptians that concentric rings and spherical shape of the onions were symbols of eternity.
•  During the Middle Ages, onions were actually used as gifts and even currency. People used to pay for services and goods and even paid rent using onions.
• Did you know that Libyans are famous for eating onions. The per capita onion consumption of Libya per year is a whopping 66.8 pounds.
• According to Old English folklore, if the skin of the onion is thick, it means that a harsh or severe winter is coming. A thin skin on the other hand denotes a mild winter.
• China is world’s largest producer of onions. The average annual production of onions by China stands at 20,507,759 metric tons. India takes the second spot with 13,372,100 metric tons and America takes the third spot with 3,320,870 metric tons annually.
• Onions are world’s 6th most popular vegetable crop (based on the volume produced per year).
• Allium Cepa. Is the scientific name of the onion, an herbaceous plant that needs to be cultivated. The wild onion – Allium Canadense – originally grows in North America.
• Christopher Columbus brought onions to the Americas via Haiti back in 1493.
• The smell of onions is very hard to get rid of. You must wash your hands in cold water with soap and coffee, or lemon; for the dishes use carrots.
• Quercetin. It’s the most common flavonoid in onions and with phenols they prevent osteoporosis, asthma, viral diseases, inflammatory diseases, serve as an anti-oxidants, anti-cholesterol, and anti-carcinogenic. Tradition and research can vouch for the health benefits of onions.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

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Culvers

Facts Legend

Fine Dining Lovers