Onion Rings

Onion rings are a type of quick food commonly found in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and some parts of Asia. They generally consist of a small or big ring of onion (whose ring-like structure lends itself well to this mode of preparation) dipped in batter or breading and then deep fried; a variant is made with onion paste. Whole onion rings make for better presentation through a variety of sizes, while those made from a paste offer quantity through consistent size. Consumers of whole onion rings run the risk of pulling the onion out of the batter if they fail to cut it all the way through with their teeth, while onion rings made of onion paste break apart easily but oil absorbency diminishes the onion taste.

The exact origins of the onion ring are unknown, but in 1933 a recipe for deep-fried onion rings that are dipped in milk then dredged in flour appeared in a Crisco advertisement in The New York Times Magazine.

A recipe for French Fried Onions may have appeared in the Middletown, NY Daily Times on 13 January 1910. It does not claim to be the originator of the recipe.

One claimant to the invention of the onion ring is the Pig Stand restaurant chain, founded in Oak Cliff, Texas, in the early 1920s. The once-thriving chain, whose heyday in the 1940s saw over 100 locations across the United States, also claims to be the originator of Texas toast.