Blooming onion - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A blooming onion, onion bloom, onion blossom, or onion 'mum is a dish consisting of one large onion which is cut to resemble a flower, battered and deep fried

Deep frying

Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used....

. It is served as an appetizer at some restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s.

The name of the dish comes from its menu name at Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...

("Bloomin' Onion"), which claims to be the dish's inventor. The owners of Scotty's Steak House in Springfield, New Jersey also claim to have invented this dish in the 1970s. The dish was a charter feature of the Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse

restaurant chain when it opened in 1988, and remains prominent on its menu. Its popularity has led to its adoption as an appetizer at various other restaurant chains, most notably Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon

Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon

Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon is a casual dining restaurant chain, serving steak, seafood, salad, and similar food items. Lone Star opened its first restaurant in 1987 in Tampa,Florida. In March 1992, Lone Star became a public company with eight restaurants opened. On February 18, 2008, Lone Star...

, where it is best known as the "Texas Rose." The blooming onion is usually served with a restaurant-specific signature dipping sauce

Dip (food)

A dip or dipping sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor and/or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, cut-up raw vegetables, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, and falafel...

.

Despite the implied association with Australian cuisine

Australian cuisine

Australian cuisine refers to the cuisine of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding indigenous and colonial societies. Indigenous Australians have occupied the lands of Australia for some 40,000-60,000 years, during which time they developed a unique hunter gatherer diet, known as "bush...

due to Outback Steakhouse's branding, the dish is unknown in Australia and rarely served outside of the United States.

Nutrition

The egg

Egg (food)

Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...

wash and deep frying

Deep frying

Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used....

preparation process of the blooming onion means it can be relatively high in calories. A single blooming onion with dressing has been reported to contain approximately 2,210 calories and 134 grams of fat. A study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...

found a slightly lower fat content of 116 grams, including a combined 44 grams of saturated and trans fat. When it existed, the similar style Awesome Blossom at Chili's

Chili's

Chili's Grill & Bar is a restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine. The chain has more than 1400 casual dining restaurants, mostly located in the United States and Canada...

was ranked "Worst Appetizer in America" by Men's Health
Men's Health (magazine)
Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...

magazine in 2008 for the unusually high totals of calories and fat, with 2,710 calories, 203 grams (1,827 calories) of fat, 194 grams of carbohydrates, and 6,360 milligrams of sodium

Sodium chloride

Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...

, with as much fat as 67 strips of bacon

Bacon

Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...

Nutrition

See also