Blooming onion

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}{{For|the criminal investigation|Operation Blooming Onion}}{{Infobox food

| name = Blooming onion

| image = Blooming onion.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption =

| alternate_name = Onion bloom, onion blossom, onion flower, onion mum

| course = Hors d'oeuvre

| type =

| served = Hot

| main_ingredient = Onion, batter

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

| place_of_origin = United States

}}

A blooming onion, also called onion bloom, onion blossom, onion flower, bloomin' onion, or onion mum, is a dish consisting of one large onion, cut to resemble a flower (after it has expanded while soaking in ice water), battered, and deep-fried, often served with dipping sauce. It is served as an appetizer at some restaurants.

History

References to an "onion mum" consisting of an onion cut into the shape of a flower date as far back as 1947, though this dish did not fry or cook the onion.{{cite news |author= |title=The Lady Of The House |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=69812043&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjM3MDY3ODIxNSwiaWF0IjoxNjIyNjAxNTQ3LCJleHAiOjE2MjI2ODc5NDd9.ivvEfk4E6kEQLe_iak3v0bwuw088pCXXgGSWsY8qHZM |work=The Chicago Tribune |date=February 23, 1947 |access-date=June 1, 2021}} The more popular fried version of the dish was likely invented by Jeff Glowski in 1985 at New Orleans restaurant Russell's Marina Grill, where future Outback Steakhouse founder Tim Gannon worked at the time.{{cite news |last=VanHooker|first=Brian |date=February 12, 2021 |title=Who Really Invented The Blooming Onion? Peeling Open The World's Greasiest Mystery |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/who-invented-blooming-onion |work=MEL Magazine |access-date=June 1, 2021}}{{cite web |last=Elsass |first=Casey |title=Honey, I Shrunk the Bloomin' Onion |website=Epicurious |date=January 24, 2024 |url=https://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/honey-i-shrunk-the-bloomin-onion |access-date=March 24, 2025}}

The dish was popularized in the United States when it appeared as the "Bloomin' Onion", a charter feature of the Outback Steakhouse when that national chain opened in 1988. It is usually served with a restaurant-specific signature dipping sauce.{{cite news|last1=Myers|first1=Dan|title=How they make a Bloomin' Onion and other Outback Steakhouse secrets|url=https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/how-they-make-a-bloomin-onion-and-other-outback-steakhouse-secrets|access-date=June 26, 2016|date=November 11, 2015}} Despite the name's familiarity and frequent use as a generic term, "Bloomin' Onion" is a registered trademark and Outback's owners have issued legal threats to numerous restaurants over their use of similar names.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/food/2024/06/19/outback-steakhouse-bloomin-onion-good-intentions-st-petersburg/|title=Outback issued this St. Pete vegan restaurant a cease and desist for its Bloomin' Onion knockoff|website=Tampa Bay Times}}

From June 21, 2016, Outback Steakhouse began serving a limited-time-only variant of the Bloomin' Onion, the Loaded Bloomin' Onion.{{cite news|last1=Amatulli|first1=Jenna|title=The Loaded Bloomin' Onion Is Here, And It's Coming For You|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/loaded-bloomin-onion-is-death-on-a-plate_us_576c2803e4b0aa4dc3d4c5d3|access-date=June 26, 2016|work=The Huffington Post|date=June 23, 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Steakhouse|first1=Outback|title=Outback Steakhouse Tops Its Iconic Bloomin' Onion|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outback-steakhouse-tops-its-iconic-bloomin-onion-300287769.html|access-date=June 27, 2016|work=www.prnewswire.com|date=June 21, 2016}}

Nutrition

The egg wash and deep frying preparation process of the dish means it is high in calories; a single blooming onion with dressing contains approximately 1,660 calories and 87 grams of fat.{{cite web |title=Outback Steakhouse Nutrition Information |url=https://outback.blob.core.windows.net/content/images/OBS_Full_Nutrition_Information_Core_Menu_Items.pdf |access-date=October 30, 2021}} In 2007, a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found a fat content of 116 grams, including a combined 44 grams of saturated and trans fat.{{cite web |title=What's At Steak? |url=http://www.cspinet.org/nah/steak-jf.html |author1=Nutrition Action |date=January 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701210857/http://www.cspinet.org/nah/steak-jf.html|archive-date=July 1, 2007}}

When it existed, the similarly styled Awesome Blossom at Chili's was ranked "Worst Appetizer in America" by Men's Health 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, with as much fat as 67 strips of bacon.{{Cite web |url=http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/20-worst-foods?article=19 |title=Men's Health - Eat THIS, not That - 20 Worst Foods - 2. Worst Starter |access-date=July 12, 2013 |archive-date=May 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503033051/http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/20-worst-foods?article=19 |url-status=dead }} For reference, the U.S. Reference Daily Intake for fat is 65g and for sodium is 2,300 mg, assuming a 2,000-calorie diet, while typical daily food energy recommendations lie in the range of 1,600 to 3,000 calories.