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.
- A&W is credited with popularizing the onion rings in fast food restaurants, introducing it to its menu in the 1960s.
- 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.
- In Nebraska’s Blue Hill, there is a law – quite a bizarre one actually. As per the law, if a woman wears a big hat that can intimidate a timid man, the woman will be forbidden from eating onions. Interestingly, that law is exists in books!
- Greeks used to think that eating onions would boost strength and hence, athletes during the first Olympic Games of 1st century CE ate onions.
- US produces more than 2 million metric tons of onions annually.
- General Ulysses S. Grant, during American Civil War, sent a telegram. Addressed to the War Department, it read – “I will not move my army without onions”. The result was that three train cars loaded with onions were immediately shipped.
- Eating parsley will help get rid of onion breath.
- The fastest time to peel 50 pounds of onions is 2 minutes 39 seconds.
- The fastest time to eat a raw onion was 43.53 seconds by Guyism favorite, Furious Pete. (See Video posted to YouTube by Furious Pete)
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